£300,000 boost for Ballycastle Health Centre

The Trust will invest 300,000 refurbishing and updating the Health Centre to develop a modern, practical, clinical facility that will benefit patients as well as GPs and the staff who work there, officials said.

Colm Donaghy, Chief Executive of the Trust, said the project highlights the Trust’s commitment to investment in quality services in the Ballycastle area.

He said: “This will undoubtedly be welcomed by everyone who works in or uses Ballycastle Health Centre. It is a significant investment that will secure a modern service for people living in the town and the surrounding area.”

Initial work has begun on a new treatment room in the adjoining Dalriada Hospital complex. When the work is complete existing treatment room services will move to allow major renovation of the Health Centre itself.

As well as renovation of treatment areas in the centre, the project will create additional clinical space and individual reception areas for each of the two GP practices that will use the centre.

A new entrance will accommodate the needs of people with disability and there will be additional car parking for disabled drivers.

The Trust, the Health Board, GPs and the staff of the practices have been working closely with the architect, Paul McAteer, from Harbour Studio, and Martin Hamilton, the building contactor, to ensure disruption for the public is kept to a minimum while the renovations are carried out.

The work is due to be completed by early summer. The GP practices will have an official re-opening subsequent to the final handover of the refurbished premises.

North Antrim Sinn Fin MLA and Westminster election candidate, Daith McKay, has welcomed the announcement that work has begun on the refurbishment of Ballycastle Health Centre.

However, in a statement, he argues that the Department of Health have yet to address the lack of a proper rural-proofing mechanism for their policies and decisions

Mr McKay said: “In 2008 Cllr Cara McShane and I met with staff at the Health Centre in Ballycastle about the terrible state of the facilities which were not fit for purpose nor Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliant. Indeed the doors into the Centre were so narrow that staff had, on one occasion, to carry in a wheelchair user.

“When I questioned the Minister of Health about this he admitted that the centre falls below the standards that he would have liked for health and social care facilities. I put the case forward that the number of people availing of the service is increasing due to the rising population in the area and that it would put the centre in to a state of crisis within 18 months if not addressed.

“I very much welcome the fact that the Northern Trust recognised the problems that I outlined to them and are investing 300,000 in refurbishing and updating the Health Centre. This will come as a great relief to the GPs who work at the practice and who should also be commended for the work they did to highlight the problem. We will be engaging with stakeholders to ascertain if this newbuild addresses all of the concerns that were raised with us originally.

“Whilst this decision is to be welcomed rural areas such as Ballycastle are still suffering as a result of decisions and cuts which do not take into account the rurality of the north-east coast. An effective rural-proofing mechanism must be introduced within the Department of Health that ensures that rural patients and service users are treated equally. Without that Moyle remains an easy option for further cuts.”

Ballycastle Sinn Fin Councillor Cara McShane said: “There has been no structural expansion of the building in over 40 years so this work is long overdue. I am especially pleased that people with a disability will now be able to access the centre without hindrance and that a new treatment room is to be built. I look forward to the work being completed by the summer of 2010.”

SDLP MLA Declan O'Loan and SDLP councillor Madeline Black have also welcomed the major refurbishment.

Declan O'Loan said: "I have visited the Health Centre and seen the current facilities which are cramped and totally inadequate for the two GP practices. I made representations and arranged meetings with the Health Trust on the matter, and I am delighted to see this scheme arriving on the ground.

"The improvements will see a new treatment room in Dalriada Hospital. The space freed up will be used to create more clinical space and reception areas for the GPs. Proper disability access will be provided. This will greatly improve the facilities available to patients."

Madeline Black said: "I also welcome these improvements which are long overdue. It is essential that we who live in Ballycastle have health facilities as good as anywhere else. Indeed because we are at such a distance from major acute services, our local services need to be better."