£40m boost for Lisburn health care

The South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust has lodged an outline planning application seeking permission to demolish existing buildings at the hospital to make way for a brand new £40m ‘Lisburn Community Treatment and Care Centre’.

The scheme, which it is expected will house the health centre when it moves from its current location in Linenhall Street, also includes plans for a decked car park.

The outline planning application has been made by one of the three preferred bidders who are competing to secure the contract to redesign the hospital site to accommodate the new facility.

“This is another important milestone as we progress this exciting new development to extend the health and social care services for the people of Lisburn and surrounding area,” said Trust Chief Hugh McCaughey.

The aim of reconfiguring of part of the hospital site is to allow primary and secondary care to be co-located at the hospital. It has been predicted that this will make both diagnostics and treatments easier and quicker for both the patient and the doctor.

A spokesperson for the Trust explained: “The reconfiguration of primary and community care and local hospital services in Lisburn is key to the delivery of the Strategic Vision envisaged in Transforming Your Care (2011), as it will enable improved integration of Primary and Secondary Care Services.

“The objective is to facilitate earlier health care interventions in a primary and community care setting to reduce attendance and / or admissions to hospital.”

The Trust has said it hopes to have the new facility up and running by 2018, with the awarding of the contract likely to be made in January 2016.