People living with chronic diseases across Sligo, South Donegal, Leitrim, and West Cavan are benefiting from faster access to specialist care in the HSE Benbulbin Integrated Care Hub. The centre, which is located in Ballytivnan, Sligo town, was opened in 2023 as part of a €240 million nationwide Enhanced Community Care (ECC) programme to enhance the care provided by the HSE in community settings.
Since opening in 2023, clinical teams in the hub have facilitated 45,000 patient contacts and accepted 10,000 referrals from GPs and Sligo University Hospital consultants.
The Benbulbin hub is home to three specialist teams in cardiology, diabetes, and respiratory medicine. Patients attending the hub have access to a full multidisciplinary team staffed with consultants, clinical nurse specialists and advanced nurse practitioners, respiratory and cardiac physiologists, physiotherapists, dieticians, podiatrists, psychologists, and administration support.
During a visit to Sligo last month, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill spent time with patients and staff at the hub, and has commended the clinical teams for their efforts in bringing care closer to home.
Minister Carroll MacNeill said: “I was delighted to visit the Benbulbin Chronic Disease Hub in Sligo, to meet patients and to hear first-hand the impact that these services are having in our local communities. The Chronic Disease Management Programme represents a new approach to working with patients to manage their healthcare.
“Developed as part of the ECC Programme, the Benbulbin hub has successfully moved the care of targeted chronic diseases into the community setting, and closer to home for patients, reducing waiting times and improving access to specialist treatment and support for these patients.”
Programmes provided by the teams in Benbulbin hub include;
- Respiratory care: Smoking cessation support, prevention and assessment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma assessment and management.
- Cardiology care: Cardiovascular disease, cardiac ECHO and Holter monitoring, diagnostics.
- Diabetes care: Mainly type 2
- Diagnostics: Respiratory – spirometry testing, full lung function tests, point of care arterial blood
gas testing; cardiology – ECHO and Holter monitoring. - Rehabilitation: 12-week cardiology and pulmonary programmes.
- Prevention, education, and cessation programmes (Living Well, Prediabetes (online and face to face), My Best Health (online), DESMOND diabetes education, and Smoking Cessation clinics).
Mary Conboy, Ballintogher, Co Sligo, and Patrick Fox, Kiltyclogher, Co Leitrim, both attend the Benbulbin hub. They met with Minister Carroll MacNeill during her visit and have praised the service, saying: “The hub is a fantastic facility where you have access to all the health professionals to help you manage your chronic illness and it’s where you would want your family or friends to have access too. It’s brilliant to be able to park outside the front door and not have to worry about finding parking. Very friendly and helpful staff make your visits a pleasant experience.”
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