The Department of Health has invested £220,000 in a County Antrim GP practice to extend facilities and increase services for patients.
The extension to the GP-owned practice, Country Medical Centre in Armoy, provides additional accommodation to enable increased GP and community nursing sessions and also enables the practice to offer the services of a new Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT).
Patients will now have access to a physiotherapist, social worker, mental health worker and a practice-based pharmacist all in one place. The investment has also enabled reconfiguration of the existing space and now provides more administrative space for staff and bathroom facilities for patients.
Department of Health Permanent Secretary Peter May said:
“Supporting investment in GP practices is a key priority for the Department. More than £2.9million in funding has been provided across the Northern Health and Social Care Trust area in the last three years with the aim of increasing capacity within primary care premises.”
Having the new MDT staff based in the practice has added to the services provided and means that patients can now be directed to the most appropriate person to deal with their concerns.
Patients have welcomed the extension with positive comments, with one patient saying:
“The additional health care staff now have their own rooms which makes it much easier if I need to see them and having my issues dealt with directly by a physiotherapist or pharmacist, for example, gives me an improved service.”