Enhanced community care facility to open at Ballincollig

CORK Kerry Community Healthcare (CKCH) has confirmed plans to open a new multi-million Enhanced Community Care (ECC) facility in Ballincollig that will treat those with chronic diseases and older people.

CKCH said the facility earmarked for a building on Old Fort Road in Ballincollig is subject to ongoing negotiation with the developer.

If agreed, it is envisaged that practical completion of the facility will occur in Quarter 3 of this year and the building would then be handed over to CKCH for the fit-out of clinical equipment and furniture.

An Enhanced Community Care (ECC) building, such as the one currently being built at Old Fort Road in Ballincollig, will provide a permanent home for those suffering from chronic disease, including cardio, respiratory and endocrine, and older persons with community-based specialist healthcare teams.

A statement issued by CKCH to The Echo read: “Government policy on healthcare reform, as outlined in Sláintecare, sets out the need to develop community services using evidence-based clinical care models and ensuring integration of services across acute and community specialist teams.

“Working in a shared location benefits communication and economy of scale in sharing of facilities.”

CKCH also confirmed that a total of four ECC buildings are currently being developed in Cork, as well as one in Kerry.

These include Ballincollig for Cork South, Bantry for West Cork, St Mary’s Campus for north Cork city and Mallow for Cork North.

CKCH said the teams working at these centres will comprise of consultants, specialist nurses, health and social care professionals and support staff offering one-to-one and group consultations.

In addition, each building will provide structured education programmes and community-based rehabilitative services.

“The objective of the specialist teams accommodated in ECC buildings is to provide an integrated model of care that treats people at the lowest level of complexity that is safe, timely, efficient and as close to home as possible.

“As well as the specialist service being provided to older people, the teams will focus on improving the standard of care for four major chronic diseases that affect over one million people in Ireland: Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), Diabetes (Type II), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Asthma,” the statement read.