Health services receive funding boost

Hospitals and primary care services have received a boost today with the news that the health department is to increase funding through the Reinvestment and Reform Initiative.

The lion share of the newly released resources goes toward building the new Integrated Primary Health and Social Care Centre in Kilkeel, to which £2.7 million has been allocated.

The centre will bring together the primary care services currently provided from the existing Kilkeel Health Centre and the Allied Health Professions and outpatient services located on the Mourne Hospital site.

It is hoped this move will allow greater co-operation between primary care services and enable patients to be treated under one roof, in improved surroundings. The new centre will be built on a site adjacent to the existing health centre.

The Health Minister Bairbre de Brun also said that a number of other local hospitals could benefit through the replacement of important equipment and the upgrading of sterilisation facilities.

Ms de Brun added: “To protect patients from infection while they are in hospital, it is crucial that facilities for the sterilisation and decontamination of medical instruments and equipment should be of the highest possible standards. I have therefore decided to allocate £1.74 million to this important matter."

The Minister said that outdated diagnostic imaging equipment at the Erne, Lagan Valley, Royal Victoria and Tyrone County Hospitals would be replaced by modern equipment.

“This new equipment will bring benefits to patients by improving the speed and quality of imaging services,” she said.

Yesterday the Health Minister revealed that funding had also been made available to the Ambulance Service to purchase some 45 new ambulances, strengthen fleet management and improve training facilities.

Ms De Brun said: “The speed with which the Ambulance Service is able to respond to incidents and the care that crews are able to provide before the patient arrives at the hospital can often mean the difference between life and death. It is vitally important that ambulance crews have access to a safe and reliable fleet and have the necessary skills to treat patients."

The department also highlighted other new developments including a new communications system and rapid responder vehicles and a medical priority despatch system.

The purchase of the ambulances means that a total of over 150 ambulances have been brought in since 1998/99 – replacing about two-thirds of the fleet.

(GMcG)