The long-awaited opening of Clonbrusk Primary Care Centre is due to take place this Monday February 17.
The centre will be a one-stop shop for the health and social care services for Athlone and its hinterland. The facility will include general practitioner services, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, primary care social work services, public health nursing, speech and language therapy, dietetics, and psychology. It will also facilitate the transfer of mental health services and the community alcohol and drugs services (CADS ), MIDOC, dental, and environmental health services currently housed at St Vincent’s campus.
The current out patient department will also be accommodated in this new centre.
Located in Clonbrusk, the development will provide a new and modern setting for continuing the work of local primary care teams and networks.
The radiology department at Clonbrisk is due to be fully operational by June, if not sooner, and will offer a noticable improvement from the existing service. Results will be available immediately thanks to due state-of-the-art equipment which clincal engineer Liam Hackett hopes will be procured soon.
“Dose rates will also be less, so patients will be safer. Images can also be transferred to Mullingar or Tullamore - where before patients would have had to bring film with them,” he said.
Speaking ahead of the official opening Joe Ruane, area manager, HSE, Dublin Mid Leinster stated: “This centre offers a primary, secondary, and tertiary service, all from one campus. The Primary Care Model is an integrated approach that improves outcomes for patients as a result of multi-disciplinary working.
“Many years of dedicated work has been invested in this initiative to bring it to fruition. I wish to acknowledge the endeavour and foresight of the HSE staff and local GPs in paving the way forward for this vital network. These teams and their work are showing that real progress is being made and delivered to the people that matter most, our patients.”
The new facility will be of huge benefit to both patients and staff with more treatment rooms, fully functional kitchens, better security. The HSE have highlighted the importance of an interactive staff faculty whichshould lead to better treatment for patients.
