Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Ahearn for raising this issue. He described a vibrant community supported by many community groups and also the importance of the new proposed primary care centre for Fethard, County Tipperary. I welcome the opportunity to provide an update to the House.

The ongoing development of both community and primary care is the core of the Sláintecare vision. This Government is committed to ensuring people are provided with the care they need as close to home as possible and have access to the wide possible range of health and social care services within their community. In support of this national goal, south east community healthcare is working to develop primary care centres across the region. In February 2019, a schedule setting out the next stage of primary care development was drafted and priority sites in the south-east were identified.

One of the five priority sites was the area of Slieve Ardagh and west County Tipperary which includes, as the Senator mentioned, Fethard, Killenaule, Gortnahoe and Ballingarry. As the area is rural, with a number of small towns and villages, it was considered from both an operational and HSE estates perspective that the development of the new primary care centre should be located centrally insofar as is possible. Following consultations, Fethard was agreed as the proposed site for the new centre. Expressions of interest were subsequently advertised in November 2019 and the process of engaging with developers commenced. I understand two developers have expressed an interest and that local GPs have also signed up in support of the Fethard centre. It is the intention that some existing GP practices will be aligned with the Fethard primary care centre, while GP practices in other local towns and villages will be maintained.

I am pleased to be able to advise the Senator that HSE estates is reviewing the schedule of accommodation and expects to be in a position to issue relevant documentation to developers before the end of May. This will allow developers to finalise the design and bring the opening of the centre one step closer. This is a very welcome development as the centre will bring vital services to the Slieve Ardagh and west County Tipperary area, providing modern, purpose-built accommodation and acting as a single point of access for health and social care delivery. The primary care team will include GPs working alongside public health nurses and other healthcare professionals, including occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech and language therapists.This team will also link in with the wider community network services, including dental care and hearing specialists, among others. The Government is committed to continued investment in the development of primary care centres nationwide, in both urban and rural areas. These facilities have a crucial role to play in enhancing and expanding capacity in the primary care sector to deliver high quality, integrated care to people in their own communities. I am sure the centre in Fethard will come to be seen as a valued community asset.