HSE to build primary care centre in Graignamanagh

THE HSE is in discussion with a developer to build a new primary care centre in Graignamanagh. The developer was granted planning permission for a site on Convent Lane in the town earlier this year.

The centre is being built via the operational lease model meaning that private developers fund, build and maintain primary care facilities, with the HSE thereafter entering a fixed-term lease, which is usually 15-25 years in duration, to rent and operate them. After the lease ends, ownership of the facility typically reverts to the landlord, though this can vary project to project.

The majority of Ireland’s primary care centres have been built using this developer-led model.

It was revealed at September’s meeting of the Regional Health Forum for Dublin and the south east that the HSE’s legal team is in discussion with the developer’s legal team about the project. This information was revealed in response to a question asked by councillor Daniel Pender.

Cllr Pender said that the centre will make a big difference to the daily lives of people living in south Carlow.

“Right now, the nearest facility is in Thomastown and if you are having to go regularly for physio or something like that, the time adds up quickly,” he said. “It’s a stone’s throw from Borris and would serve people in St Mullins, too. I’m sure that anyone south of Bagenalstown is going to benefit from it. Eventually, people in Bagenalstown will have the best of both worlds as they will be able to go up to the injuries unit in Carlow town or down to Graignamanagh” As the centre is being constructed using the operational lease model, the developer decides the timeframe for the project’s delivery, so the HSE was unable to say when the centre is expected to open.