Trust putting Obstacles in the way of a  New Health Centre

 Eddie McGrady MP is disappointed and concerned by recent information received from the Trust regarding a new build health centre for Downpatrick;

“Following the fire at Pound Lane it became obvious that the Trust should look at the replacement of the building with a new Health Centre as a priority before deciding to spend money on the existing building, which for some time had been identified as in need of replacement. I have now learned that the Trust are conducting a review of the services provided at Pound Lane and that this review will look at the location of all service there. This in practical terms means that the GP and Primary Care Service offered to the community at Pound Lane could be in the future split over various sites.

Further to this the Trust are putting forward that all GP’s within the Downpatrick area would need to commit to use a new Health Centre before the Trust would move ahead with this proposal. I find this nonsense. The GP facilities at Pound Lane and the Primary Care services available there would be more than adequate to make a case for a new build health centre. Indeed it this has been the case in many other areas that other GP surgeries operate outside Trust new build facilities. Further to this it would be unacceptable to ask the other GP surgeries, who have taken steps in recent years to improve their own facilities to abandon these.

I am very concerned that the Trust are simply undertaking a process of delaying or blocking the development of a New Health Centre and will be seeking an urgent meeting to the Chief Executive to discuss my very real concerns”.

Ends.