- 22/12/2015
- Posted by: Joyce Watson MS
- Category: Feature
£3.9M FOR NEW BLAENAU FFESTINIOG HEALTH CENTRE
“GREAT NEWS FOR CHRISTMAS, AND FOR THE FUTURE,” SAYS LOCAL LABOUR ASSEMBLY MEMBER
Joyce Watson AM reacted to the announcement of new community health centre for Blaenau Ffestiniog, which is being built with £3.9m of funding from the Welsh Labour Government.
The primary care resource centre is to be built on the site of Blaenau Memorial Hospital.
Local Assembly Member Joyce Watson (Mid and West Wales) said:
“The new community health centre for Blaenau Ffestiniog is great news for local people, not just for Christmas, but for their families’ futures.
“The new health centre is being built on a listed building funded by donations with special significance to local people. The centre is being established following public consultation, and is part of the Welsh Labour Government’s vision for the health service of providing care in the community, closer to people’s homes.”
Mrs Watson explained:
“The new centre will include:
• Improved GP services with the ability to expand and improve recruitment.
• Consultant-led palliative care outpatients and specialist nurse clinics and consultant- led respiratory outpatients clinics.
• Improved children’s services in a dedicated suite. There will be more child and adolescent mental health services providing a permanent midwifery base and antenatal clinics.
• Increased paediatric speech and language sessions. This will include consultant paediatrician and community paediatrician outpatient sessions. There will also be school nursing and health visiting services at the same site.
“The development will see the return of learning disability services to Blaenau, with a regular consultant psychiatrist clinic. It will provide a new base for mental health and substance misuse with increased group sessions.
“The new centre will introduce new telemedicine facilities to improve access to services, through the installation of a technology suite. This will allow a range of virtual outpatient clinics to be established across a number of specialties.
“Blaenau Ffestiniog will be delighted that there will be new community dental accommodation with potential to attract an NHS salaried dentist.
“The proposed development is one of three integrated health and social care centres as part of agreed changes across North Wales, along with Llangollen and Flint.”
