Buncrana and Newtowncunningham Primary Care Centres officially opened
Minister for Health launches ECC Programme Donegal
The new multi-million euro Primary Care Centres in Buncrana and Newtowncunningham have been officially opened.
The newly built medical facilities were opened by the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly.
The Minister is also in the county to officially launch the HSE Community Healthcare Donegal, Enhanced Community Care (ECC) Programme as part of the nationwide rollout of the €240m ECC programme.
Developed as part of implementing Sláintecare, the ECC programme aims to ensure all HSE primary and community care services work in an integrated way to meet population health needs across Ireland, to reduce dependence on hospital services and provide access to consultant-led specialist services in the community.
The ECC programme is already making substantial progress nationally, reducing pressure on services and dependence on the hospital-centric model of care through enhanced and increased community services.
Buncrana Primary Care Centre has been operational since September 2022. It accommodates a range of services such as GP Services, Dental, Public Health Nursing, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech & Language Therapy, Social Work, Home Support, Civil Registration, Psychology, Dietetics, Podiatry, Community Palliative Care (Nursing), Community Intervention Team (Nursing), and Mental Health Services.
The Centre is used by the Children’s Disability Network Team to provide local services. There are also a number of visiting clinics including Health Promotion and Improvement Services. GPS from the Buncrana medical centre have relocated to the new Primary Care Centre.
Newtowncunningham Primary Care Centre has been operation since August 2022. It accommodates a range of services including Public Health Nursing, Physiotherapy, and Occupational Therapy. There are also a number of visiting clinics including Speech and Language Therapy, Dietetics, Psychology and Ophthalmology. GPs from the Castle Medical Centre have relocated to the new Primary Care Centre.
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