Meeting with Staff at the Leopardstown Primary Care Centre

6th March 2014

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I was pleased to meet with the Leopardstown Primary Care Team on Monday while visiting the Leopardstown Primary Care Centre.

This modern and very impressive Primary Care Centre is already having, and will continue to have, a very positive health impact for the people of Leopardstown, Ballyogan, Carrickmines, Sandyford, Ticknock, Stepaside and Glencullen.

I took the opportunity to commend the work of the Leopardstown Primary Care Team which includes a GP, public health nurses, speech and language therapists, an occupational therapist, a social worker, a clinical psychologist and a physiotherapist as well as administrative staff.

Having spoken to the staff along with Cllr. Lettie McCarthy, it is clear that there is a huge level of confidence in, and support for, the centre in the local community.

This Primary Care Centre services a wide range of people in the area, young and old, from a variety of different backgrounds and is an extremely valuable resource for the area.

For local residents, the high standard of the Centre and clinical services delivered from this location is something we can all be very proud of.

It is my priority and a priority of this Government to see Primary Care Centres opened across the country. In fact, thirty five new Primary Care Centres have opened in the past two years including in Rathfarnham and Churchtown.

An additional 21 primary care centres are expected to open over the next year. Planning permission has been lodged for a primary care centre in the Knocklyon/Rathfarnham area. The Leopardstown Primary Care Centre can act as an example of best practice for these new primary care centres which are coming on stream.

By expanding primary care services, patients can have as much of their healthcare as possible delivered to them in their communities rather than in hospitals.