The two new centres will be in Andersonstown and Shankill in West Belfast. A wide range of health and social care services will be available in the new centres such as family planning and orthodontics, nutrition and dietetics and physiotheraphy.
Michael McGimspey made this announcement as he was shown around the newly built £7.5 million Lincoln Avenue Health and Care Centre in North Belfast which has recently been completed and is due to open for business next month.
“Primary care is the cornerstone of our health and social care system. Services for the people of this area are currently provided from a large number of separate facilities with local people having to travel to a range of locations for their community health and social care services,” the Minister said.
“This project will rationalise the existing office and clinical base and provide four Health and Care Centres.
“The development of health and care centres will contribute to a more accessible health and care system. Local people will receive a more complete service being provided by a wide range of primary care professionals in the community. This investment is another step towards upgrading and modernising our services so that local people come first. ”
“This investment today is an early benefit of the planned £2.9billion programme of investment which we are delivering across Northern Ireland over the next 10 years.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
- These two centres bring to a total of five centres which have been and will be built over the next few years. It is planned that a total of 42 centres and other primary and community care facilities will be developed over the next 10 years with an investment of £580 million.
- The Department's modernisation policy, set out in Developing Better Services (2002), proposed the links with primary and community care services.
- An allocation to improve the infrastructure in the community to support care nearer to where people live, especially for older persons and those with disabilities was included in the £2.9billion investment programme announced for health and social services over the next ten years in the Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland in December 2005.
- It is planned to put in place over 40 health and care centres and other primary and community care facilities with an investment of £580 million over the next 10 years. Health and Care Centres are also known as Health and Wellbeing Centres and Community Care and Treatment Centres.
- 'Caring for People Beyond Tomorrow' was developed as an integral part of the Department's Regional Strategy, focusing on the future, considering the potential changes and challenges that primary care, along with the wider health and social care service, are likely to meet. These include changes in the population, increased incident of long-term conditions, technological advances and many developments brought about by people involved in delivering primary health and social care services.
- A copy of the Primary Care Strategic Framework 'Caring for People Beyond Tomorrow' can be obtained from: Primary Care Development Unit, Castle Buildings, Stormont, Belfast BT4 3SQ. It is also available on the Department's website at: www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/publications/2005/cfpbt05.asp
- The population in the North and West Belfast area served by these services is over 173,000 and covers the area between the Belfast Hills to the north and the M1 motorway to the south and stretches from Suffolk in the West to Glengormley and the Shore Road in the north. Four new centres will replace around 40 existing facilities in the north and west Belfast area. The location of the four Health & Wellbeing Centres is:
Yor York Roadilable to be downloaded from www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/photogallery.
