No vacant accommodation at the Clondalkin Primary Care Centre

ACCORDING to the HSE, there is currently no significant vacant clinical accommodation in the Primary Care Centre in Clondalkin.

SDCC Mayor Councillor Francis Timmons raised this issue with the HSE following several requests from members of the public regarding the availability of beds in the Care Centre.

Having first opened in 2024, the Centre is working towards the improvement of several facilities, including flexible clinical accommodation and the expansion of services.

The HSE responded to Cllr Timmons to clarify the utilisation of overnight accommodation in the centre, saying:

“The allocation of accommodation within the building is reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure that available space is utilised efficiently and in accordance with changing service demands and population needs.

“Room utilisation across the Primary Care Centre is actively monitored to maximise clinical capacity, with shared and bookable accommodation used wherever possible to optimise utilisation.”

The several rooms that are located in the Care Centre are used for reasons including “services relocating as part of planned estates projects” and the use of temporary accommodation to “facilitate service decants”.

Space in the centre is also allocated to waiting list initiatives and outsourced clinical programmes as well as the support of cross-network and specialist services.

The absence of permanently vacant clinical accommodation is a result of a number of reasons, yet the Primary Care Centre is working towards improving “flexible clinical accommodation to support national and regional waiting-list initiatives.”

Mayor Cllr Timmons emphasised the importance of such centres in communities like Clondalkin, saying:

“As a result of having Primary Healthcare Centres in local areas people have better health outcomes; people will live at home longer, within their own community and will get the services they need to stay at home.”

Some of the planned and proposed developments for the Care Centre include the expansion of community Neuro Rehabilitation services, the introduction of YODA and psychiatry for later-life services and the continued development of integrated care services.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme