Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Conway-Walsh for raising this issue. The HSE has confirmed that a needs assessment has been undertaken to determine what infrastructure is required within Bangor Erris to most effectively deliver primary care services to the local community. I am happy to advise the Senator that this exercise has found that Bangor Erris is a suitable location for the development of a primary care facility in the future. In that context, a business case is currently being prepared for consideration by the HSE's estates division, which is responsible for ensuring that appropriate infrastructure is in place when and where required and that the value of HSE's properties and facilities is maximised.

As the Senator may be aware, Bangor Erris, Belmullet and Glenamoy are all part of the Bangor Erris primary care team, which utilises local health centres to support service delivery. In this regard, there is a health centre on the grounds of the district hospital in Belmullet, while there is also a health centre in Glenamoy that has recently been refurbished. The expansion of community and primary care is at the heart of the Sláintecare vision. As Minister of State with responsibility for mental health and older people, I share the Minister for Health's commitment to ensure that people get the care they need as close to home as possible and have access to a greater range of health and social care services within the community.

In this respect, I am sure the Senator would welcome the investment in primary care in County Mayo. There are now seven operational primary care centres in the county, three of which have opened in the past 12 months. The centres are located in Achill, Ballina, Ballinrobe, Castlebar, Charlestown, Claremorris and Westport. In addition, construction is due to begin this year on another primary care centre in Ballyhaunis. This significant investment in Mayo is representative of this Government's steadfast support for the development of the primary care sector. There are now 126 primary care centres in operation across the country, 18 of which became operational in 2018. In addition, there are approximately 80 other locations where primary care infrastructure is either being developed or at advanced or early planning stages. Of these, 12 centres are expected to become operational in 2019.

We must, and will, continue to invest in the development of primary care centres across the country, in both urban and rural areas. In this way we will enhance and expand capacity in the primary care sector to deliver high-quality, integrated care to people in their own communities.