Waterside Health Care Centre Opens

A new £6m health and social care centre which opened in the Waterside area of Londonderry this week will help transform the surrounding area, Social Development Minister, Margaret Ritchie has said.

The new health facility at Spencer Road will combine three medical practices and serve a population of more than 25,000 patients.

It will also include midwifery and district nursing, social services, community dentistry and other health and social care services - all under one roof.

Speaking at the official opening, the Minister said: “This innovative multi-million pound centre will also be a major boost to the transformation of the Waterside, supporting local shops and businesses, reinforcing the infrastructure and bringing life back into the local area.”

She added that the finished building not only provides a place for the delivery of essential services, but also “a welcoming and reassuring environment when people need it most”.

Health Minister Michael McGimpsey, who was also at the event, said the flagship development “built at the very heart of the community it serves” had state-of-the-art facilities.

“This centre embodies the fundamental aim of our health and social care policy - bringing services closer to home and providing as much care as possible in the community.“I am delighted to see, in this centre, the very embodiment of how, in partnership together, we can provide real, tangible improvements in the delivery of quality health and social care services to patients.”

He added that the new centre was “more” than just a new health and social care centre: “As a development driven by GPs, and supported by the Minister for Social Development, it is also a clear demonstration of what can be done when the whole public sector works together for the health and well-being of patients," he said.

(BMcC)