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Jurby Health and Community Centre officially opened by Chief Minister 3 August 2012  The Chief Minister, Hon Allan Bell MHK, has today officially opened Jurby Health and Community Centre, with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque. The Minister for Health Hon David Anderson MHK, Member for Health Mr Dudley Butt MLC, representatives from Ramsey Group Practice, Age Isle of Man and The Children’s Centre and local dignitaries were amongst those also present for this milestone event for the Jurby community.
Officially opening the facility, the Chief Minister, Hon Allan Bell MHK said: “It’s a great honour to have been invited to officially open this new state of the art facility which will benefit Jurby residents and all of those in the north of the Island for many years to come. “The Jurby Health and Community Centre is the final instalment of a capital project commitment that first appeared in the 2005 budget. The significant sum of £1.6 million in building this centre is testament to the Isle of Man Government’s commitment to investing in the highest standards of health care for our community. “As I made clear when I became Chief Minister, despite the financial challenges facing Government, healthcare remains one of our top priorities, lying as it does at the heart of our prosperous and caring society. Whilst this by no means implies that the Department of Health won’t feel the pinch or need to change and adapt; it does mean that we will do all that we can to safeguard the exceptional levels of care delivered in both the community and acute settings, with the aim of delivering a first class health service of which we can all rightly be proud.” The development of community facilities, such as the new Health and Community Centre in Jurby, is in line with the Department of Health’s Strategy for the Future of Health Services, which amongst other plans, looks to shift services best suited to operating outside of Noble’s Hospital to local communities. This ensures that patient facilities are provided closer to people’s homes and outside of a busy hospital environment. This shift makes services more convenient to access for the patients by being locally based whilst also ensuring that hospital capacity can be dedicated to acute and critical care. The facility now acts as a centrepiece for the Jurby community, providing a variety of key services ranging from the Doctor’s Surgery operated by Ramsey Group Practice, to a northern base for multi-agency professional teams and an outreach site from which Age Isle of Man and the Isle of Man Children’s Centre are able to operate. The Chief Minister extended his thanks to all those involved in bringing the project to fruition, including Treasury, the Department of Health’s officers in both Primary Care and the Estates Services Directorate, Ramsey Group Practice, Dandara and local sub-contractors involved in the build, and the many other individuals and agencies involved, including the people of Jurby themselves. Minister for Health, David Anderson MHK, added: “This is truly an historic moment, with this facility meeting the healthcare needs of the population of Jurby and the surrounding areas. This will bring together a range of services in a modern purpose built building, which brings with it space and facilities for medical and nursing practitioners alongside those for use by the local community and other outreach agencies.” Work on the new Centre commenced in November 2010, with keys handed over to the Department of Health November 2011. Ramsey Group Practice commenced weekday morning surgeries on 23rd January 2012, with patients able to request their appointment at either of the Jurby or Ramsey sites, depending on their preference. The Practice also continues to run a service from Cannan Court in Kirk Michael. There are two multi-purpose community rooms, numerous consulting rooms for multi-agency professionals to use, and an outdoor soft play area. The Children’s Centre and Age Isle of Man are also providing services from the new Centre. More stories >>>
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