Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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The Government's plan to roll out primary care centres across the country is a necessity. With regard to an area in my constituency of Dublin North-West that encompasses Santry, Whitehall and Beaumont, which would be regarded as an area of high density when it comes to population and which is constantly growing, there are plans to provide a number of essential health services for the area. The demographics are mixed. There is a substantial number of elderly people living in these areas as many of the estates were built in the fifties, sixties and seventies. Their families have grown up and moved away but the parents have remained. I have found in my work across the constituency that many of these older estates house elderly residents. As people get older, they will require additional medical supports. That can include, for example, chiropody, physiotherapy, older people's services, audiology services, occupational therapy and so on. There has been a massive building programme across Santry, Whitehall and Beaumont. Large apartment blocks have been built, for example, on the site of the famous old Swiss Cottage public house, across the road in the industrial estate and in the Shanowen industrial estate. There is a big development proposed for the site known as the Nuns' Field in Whitehall. Northwood in Santry has had thousands of units built, with more planned to be built in the future. As regards the Oscar Traynor site, 853 houses are being built adjacent to Beaumont at the moment. There are many more building projects being completed and populated or proposed to be built on in the near future.

This brings a different demographic with different medical requirements to these areas. A great number of people buying or renting these new accommodations will be mainly younger people with young families. Families with young children will require specific child health services such as social work and child protection services, speech and language therapy, newborn and child health screening programmes, health and development checks for young children and so on. Both elderly residents and families with young children will require proper GP services, and it is particularly important to have these. Other areas of Dublin North-West have suffered from a severe lack of GP services, and that is no different in Santry and Whitehall.

In response to my most recent question on a primary care health centre for these areas, the HSE outlined a number of services it intends to provide for the area, which includes the following: public health nursing, community medical services, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and psychology and social work services for the Larkhill primary care team catchment area. Also included will be a cardiac rehab gym, clinical rooms, community diagnostics, podiatry and wound treatment, a primary care gym and a pulmonary rehab gym. I welcome all these proposed services and facilities that will be available in the near future. The HSE has suggested that a number of these services will be available in quarter 4 of this year.

I am concerned, however, that the HSE has decided to enter into a leasing agreement with the Omni Shopping Centre for use of space in the centre for these services and facilities. It was always my belief that a dedicated primary care centre would be built in the area to accommodate such services and facilities. Residents have raised concerns with me that the HSE has not considered a more permanent stand-alone primary care centre as an option.