The HSE South has today (Friday, 14th May 2010) reiterated its commitment to developing health services for people living on the Northside of Cork city.
Regional Director of Operations HSE South, Mr Pat Healy said, “The HSE invested more than 91million Euro in community health services in North Lee in 2009; ranging from child and family services, mental health, disability, drug and alcohol addiction services; to services for older people. That investment included more than 18million Euro in primary health care services for the Northside; and 3.6million Euro provided to 140 Community Groups in the area.
Several new buildings that received funding from the HSE also opened last year, including the Knocknaheeny Senior Citizens centre and nearby Family Resource Centre. Family support services in Knocknaheeny; together with the Neighbourhood Youth Projects in Mayfield and the Glen received HSE funding of more than a million Euro; as did the Health Action Zones in The Glen, Mayfield and Churchfield; together with the NICHE Project. The HSE was also involved in funding ‘The Hut’ community facility. A further two million Euro was used to provide addiction services in the northside of the city and 30million invested in mental health service provision. More than 1,000 people with a disability accessed services from HSE multidisciplinary teams in North Lee, last year.
A sixth Community Day Care Centre for older people in North Lee opened in 2009, in Mayfield – the fourth such facility to open on the Northside in the last three years (between 2007-2009), bringing the total investment to more than 4 million Euro.
Every part of North Lee, from Knocknaheeny to Mayfield, Farranree to Blackpool, Gurranabraher to Dillons Cross and Glanmire, is now covered by a local community-based healthcare team. These Primary Care Teams include family doctors and a range of HSE professionals like physiotherapists, psychologists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists.”
The HSE is moving towards providing more health services in local communities, so that people can access services locally, closer to where they live, and avoid unnecessary stays in acute hospitals for services they could get elsewhere, more easily.
Yesterday, (Thursday, 13th May 2010) the HSE South announced plans to relocate orthopaedic services from St. Mary’s Orthopaedic Hospital to the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital.
Speaking at the announcement, Regional Director of Operations HSE South, Mr. Pat Healy said he was confident that the relocation of orthopaedic services from a stand alone site at SMOH to the SIVUH, an acute hospital with other complimentary orthopaedic specialities on site, such as rheumatology and anaesthetics, will best serve patients’ needs.
“We have given assurances that there will be no job losses for the 220 staff who will be affected by the relocation. The HSE South has already had contact with staff representatives and there will be full engagement on the relocation of services.”
He said he wholeheartedly acknowledged the contribution of the staff at SMOH, both past and present, in looking after patients in a most caring and professional manner.
There will be no loss of orthopaedic beds as a result of the transfer of services to the SIVUH.
The HSE is fully committed to maintaining and further developing the SMOH site as a health complex maintaining existing services on campus including mental health, intellectual disability, ambulance, outreach maternity and health centre services. The newly built community nursing unit on site is due to open this year.
The HSE vision for the SMOH site is not only the maintenance of existing services but also the expansion of a range of health facilities such as a Primary Care Centre and other health and personal social services.
In this context the HSE had had discussions with Cork City Council as part of the review of the Masterplan for the area and we are working with them on the future use of the site to accommodate our future requirements.
It is the HSE intention that that the opening up of the site will lead to the health facilities at the SMOH site becoming an integral part of the communities and the provision of health services in a town centre will bring services closer to the local communities of Knocknaheeny / Gurranabraher / Churchfield and provide health services in a manner which provides a positive outcome for the community in the area.
