Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. The key objective of the primary care strategy is to develop services in the community that will give people direct access to integrated multidisciplinary teams of general practitioners, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and members of other health care disciplines. This is central to this Government's objective to deliver a high-quality, integrated and cost-effective health system. The Southern Health Board, SHB, entered into an arrangement with Cork City Council in late 2004 to provide accommodation for primary care services at a new community development the council was planning to build at Harbour View Road, Knocknaheeny. The intention at the time was to locate a number of key core primary care services in the new facility. The SHB entered into this arrangement prior to the development of the current strategy for the delivery of primary care infrastructure. The building is deemed by the HSE to be considerably smaller than what is required in the context of the current strategy.

The facility at Harbour View Road, Knocknaheeny, is one of four blocks on a community service campus, which was constructed by the city council on its property. The council, at its November 2012 meeting, approved a proposal to lease the property to the HSE. The council will provide the HSE with the appropriate support documentation, including title, statutory permissions relating to planning and fire regulations and completion certificates, which will allow the proposed lease to be considered by the HSE property committee within the next four weeks in line with HSE property approval protocols. Until this process is completed, the HSE will not be in a position to begin to deliver services from the leased building.

The HSE's capital plan 2012-2016 contains provision for the delivery of a primary care centre at St. Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital campus. The leased facility will be used to accommodate primary care staff prior to the permanent move to the new primary care centre to be constructed at the St. Mary's campus. It is envisaged that following the completion of the new HSE primary care centre at St. Mary's, the leased building could be used to accommodate services that complement health care services to be delivered from the campus.