New Health And Care Centre Approved In Lisnaskea

A new Health and Care Centre is to be developed in Lisnaskea after Health Minister Robin Swann approved the £18.5million business case for the new centre.

The new facility, which is to be built on the former Lisnaskea High School site, will support the delivery of high quality integrated primary and community care services for the population of Lisnaskea and surrounding East Fermanagh area.

Making the announcement today, Minister Swann said: "Last year I visited Lisnaskea, I met with some of the staff and I saw the facilities they were having to make do with. It left me in no doubt of the necessity and importance of the development of the Health and Care Centre for Lisnaskea and the wider East Fermanagh community. That is why I wanted to take it on a priority and I am pleased to confirm approval of the Outline Business Case.

"The new health and care centre will provide a central hub in Lisnaskea and will enable linkages with rural GP practices. This will support a network of 16 GPs and will provide services to a combined practice list of around 25,000 people. The new 3,500m2 facility will bring services together under one roof including GP, Trust Community and Day Care services. This will provide improved accessibility and increased provision of services in Lisnaskea such as Podiatry, Speech & Language Therapy, Physiotherapy, Mental Health Services and Older People services.

"In addition, it will address spatial issues currently experienced by GPs which have been compounded over recent years through retirements of rural standalone GPs in the area and a subsequent increase in the number of patients attending Lisnaskea for their care and treatment. When finished the centre will provide the space needed for future service developments."

Minister Swann added: "Investing in Primary Care Infrastructure is a critical element of the work being undertaken to transform health and social care for the population of Northern Ireland. Lisnaskea Health and Care Centre represents a significant capital investment which will provide vital services and clinics to the surrounding area and will be dedicated to providing high-quality care for generations to come."

Approval of the business case paves the way for the Western Health and Social Care Trust to proceed with site acquisition and progress to the next stages in the design and tendering process.

Welcoming the approval Neil Guckian Chief Executive of the Western Trust said: "Today's news is an important first step in the development of the Lisnaskea Health and Care Centre which will provide enhanced health care for Lisnaskea and East Fermanagh. It will also facilitate the wider economic development of the region through temporary construction jobs during the building of the facility."

The new centre will enable both Trust and the GP Medical Practice to expand and enhance local medical and social care service needs currently delivered from existing constricted and widely dispersed accommodation in Lisnaskea and Enniskillen. On completion, the development will improve accessibility and will see the co-location of services within one facility, and also an increase in the range of services available in Lisnaskea. This will also support integrated service delivery, provide increased support for older people, and improve delivery of mental health services.