Radical plans for Ballymena 'polyclinic' plan are unveiled

Design details of the long-awaited Ballymena Health & Carer Centre were unveiled on Friday by Gareth Hoskins Architects, working with Keppie Design.

The two practices have been appointed to design a series of health buildings for the Northern Health Trust, through the PCCI framework for Northern Ireland Health Estates.

The Ballymena ‘polyclinic’, which is earmarked for the Braid Valley Hospital site at the Cushendall Road, will bring together a wide range of health facilities and is intended to be Breeam “excellent” rated.

Its departments are split across two floors, organised around an internal atrium and an open courtyard (pictured right), with a third floor of trust services and office accommodation above.

The main diagnostic suites, including x-ray, physiotherapy and dentistry, are arranged on the ground floor. There is also space for children’s services, a pharmacy and community areas.

The first floor is split into two zones, one of which groups seven GP practices around the central atrium, alongside a large shared treatment department.

The second accommodates a large suite of outpatient and mental health departments around the courtyard.

It was back in September 2006, that the Northern Board approved a consultation document which set out proposals for the future of services in the boroughs of Larne and Ballymena including those at the town’s Braid Valley Hospital.

It was proposed that Braid Valley Hospital would be replaced with a new state-of-the art Health and Care Centre together with plans to build new specialist rehabilitation and palliative care wards at Antrim Hospital.

These developments have been prioritised by both the Board and the Northern Trust and the Health Minister has sought to prioritise capital funding for these developments within its own budget in order to allow a Health and Care Centre to be built in Ballymena by 2011.

A range of services will be located in the Health and Care Centre, including a number of local GP Practices and providing a range of diagnostic services such as warfarin testing, diabetic monitoring and electrocardiography; Dalraida Urgent Care (the Out of Hours service); ICAT clinics; nursing and social care services and community clinics such as provided by the Community Mental Health Resource Team and the Community Addictions service.

It is understood the new centre will also provide a working base for social care teams for older people, people with a learning disability and those individuals with a physical and/or sensory impairment.