Hamilton welcomes Innovative Funding Package for Lakeland Health Village

Health Minister Simon Hamilton, during a visit to the Lakeland Health Village, welcomed the innovative approach taken to the financing of its development and the launch of the third tranche of the GP Infrastructure Fund.

Speaking at the visit the Minister said: “One of our key policy objectives at the minute is to ensure that services are delivered as close to the communities they serve as possible. When I visited the Lakeland Health Village in Enniskillen recently I saw for myself the plans to refurbish 950sqm of additional space within the Lakeland Health Village to accommodate Trust services and deliver this integrated care model with GPs and the Trust delivering services from the same location. The additional space to be commissioned includes clinical areas and office accommodation for the following services to be co-located alongside the GPs:

• Integrated Service Delivery Team comprising Social Workers, District Nurses and Occupational Therapy staff
• Long-term Conditions/Respiratory Team
• Oxygen Nurse
• TB Nurse
• Rapid Response Nursing Team
• Continence Service
• Community Diabetic Service
• Occupational Therapy Rehabilitation
• Health Visitors
• Public Health staff
• Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service
• Community Dietetics
• Eating Disorder Service.

"The intention is that this important investment will be supported by support of a loan from the HSCB’s GP Infrastructure scheme. This is financed by the funding available from Financial Transactions Capital and is an example of how we are using all forms of finance available to us to improve and reform service delivery to the benefit of patients.

“I want to maximise this type of investment and very much welcome the fact that the HSCB has now launched the third tranche of the scheme. The scheme provides low cost loan finance to support investment in GP facilities including new builds, purchases, improvements and the possible purchase of land. Details have been sent to all GP practices in the last few weeks and I would strongly encourage all of them to give it serious consideration and make an application before the closing date of 29 April 2016.” 

Notes to editors: 

1. The GP Infrastructure Scheme provides loans to GP practices financed from Financial Transactions Capital. This enables the loans to be provided at low affordable rates of interest. The third tranche of the scheme was launched by the HSCB on 15 February 2016. Full details and application forms are on the HSCB website and applications must be received by 29 April 2016. A budget of up to £10million is available in 2016-17.
2. There are five GP Practices based in the GP-owned Erne Health Centre. The GPs have a cross-practice development company (Lakeland Health Village Ltd) set up to manage facility related matters, with a centre manager in place to manage this development company on the GPs behalf.
3. Discussions between the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) and the Western Trust are ongoing to enable a range of Trust services to operate from the facility. The additional space to be commissioned includes clinical areas and office accommodation to allow a range of services to be co-located alongside the GPs e.g. Integrated Service Delivery Team comprising Social Workers, District Nurses and Occupational Therapy staff, Rapid Response Nursing Team, Community Diabetic Service, Occupational Therapy Rehabilitation, Health Visitors, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service
4. This will essentially create the Enniskillen ‘hub’ facility as prioritised by the Western Local Commissioning Group and specified in the Primary Care Infrastructure Development Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP).
5. The GPs have been successful in their application for an FTC loan and a letter of offer has been issued from the Board to Lakeland Health Village Ltd to enable them to undertake the development works.
6. Media queries to DHSSPS Press Office on 028 9052 0074, or out of office hours contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 076 9971 5540 and your call will be returned. Follow us on twitter @healthdpt

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