A WAIT of more than three decades finally ended earlier this month when An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar officially opened the Corduff Primary Care Centre.
The need for a health centre in the area was first identified over 30 years ago. Following years of extensive campaigning by the Corduff Health Action Group the HSE finally began actively planning in 2007.
However, issues with ownership of the preferred site caused delays and construction never began.
In 2010 it looked like the transfer of lands adjacent to Corduff Shopping Centre from Fingal County Council would pave the way for the development, but the saga continued.
Fingal County Council eventually granted permission for the centre and on October 5, An Taoiseach unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the official opening of the new Corduff Primary Care Centre.
The centre is a newly constructed, modern, spacious space designed over three floors.
The building is 25,000 square feet and was built at a capital cost of €7.6 million.
It benefits from having well-proportioned clinical spaces including a physiotherapy gym, and two occupational therapy gyms suitable for children and adolescents.
Speaking at the official opening An Taoiseach, said high quality primary care services were “vitally important” in delivering coordinated health care in the community.
“This new centre is at the heart of the community that it serves, and gives Corduff a new focal point, by merging services previously dispersed over five different locations,” he added.
“The Corduff Primary Care Centre is the third provided by the Government in Dublin West, after the Blanchardstown Primary Centre and Navan Road Primary Care Centre.
“These centres are making it easier for the local population of Dublin 15 to access the community health care they need on their doorstep, and should improve health outcomes as a result."
HSE Chief Officer for CHO Dublin North City and County, Mary Walshe, said the new centre is a fantastic facility for local residents.
“It’s offering a wide range of services including GP surgeries, physiotherapy, occupational and speech and language therapy, social work, psychology and mental health teams,” she added.
“The population of Dublin 15 is over 108,000 in the 2016 census. Of that, approximately 26 per cent are under 15.
“Corduff PCC is a pivotal location for primary care paediatric services for the population of Dublin 15 and allows a more cohesive approach to delivering services to children.
“We passionately believe in the potential of primary and community based health services to improve healthcare and ease pressure on our hospitals.
“I look forward to the continuous expansion of our network of primary care centres in CHO Dublin North City and County and the range of health services these centres can provide.”
The GP Practice of Dr Anne O Brien, previously based in Brookhaven Drive in Corduff, is now based in the new primary care centre.
Des O Flynn, Head of Primary Care, CHO Dublin North City and County said GPs play a significant role in healthcare and are pivotal to primary care in the community.
“We are delighted that Anne and her team are based here in the centre,” he continued.
“Having GPs on site with the primary care and mental health staff facilitates a more cohesive way of working among health care professionals leading to more integrated care for service users.
“A collaborative team approach is especially invaluable in the care of complex cases where the input of a number of team members is required.”