£10m health centre is opened
A LANDMARK centre designed to transform the lives of thousands of patients has been officially opened by Health Minister Edwina Hart.
Mrs Hart opened the £10 million Port Talbot Resource Centre yesterday.
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Minister for Health and Social Services Edwina Hart officially opens the Port Talbot Resource Centre. Also pictured are staff members Caroline Ley, Stephanie Hawkins, Wendy Williams and Michele James
The one-stop shop for patients is the first of its kind in Wales and has replaced the town's four GP practices.
It is also home to a wide variety of services, including dental, community and therapy services, voluntary sector agencies, including the Citizens Advice Bureau and Age Concern.
Bruce Ferguson, medical director at Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board, said the new building would bring huge benefits to patients.
He said: "While we have got an impressive new building, we now have to use the opportunity it creates to move to more innovative practice, particularly around community, immediate care and chronic conditions management.
"I know that thinking about better ways to run our services for patients is at the top of the agenda and the evidence can already be seen with the various clinics and initiatives that are already available to all local people."
The facility, which was developed by Neath Port Talbot Council and took 18 months to build, has a nautical theme to reflect the maritime history of Port Talbot.
It was back in September, that practices including Riverside, moved under the same roof as Kings, Fairfield and Morrison Road surgeries.
Mrs Hart also visited Neath Port Talbot Condition Management Centre, earlier yesterday, (thurs nov 19)which covers both towns along with Swansea.
The Jobcentre Plus scheme offers support to people on incapacity benefits, due to health conditions, to help them return to work.
Comments
by jeffery, port talbot(dirty town)
Saturday, November 21 2009, 4:58PM
“ten million quid to build a resource center that may be duplicating services that should be available in the private hospital just down the road. Is this another nail in the coffin of Baglan moors hospital?
Who is responsible for this design and the waste of money
ten million quid could provide a lot of medicine which the health minister claims we cannot afford. Why can we afford a building in this recession but not medicine?
who came up with the idea of making all the people from four different surgeries travel to the middle of the moors to walk from a remore bus stop or to fight to get into a small car park that gets blocked by taxies or ambulances at the entrance?
I was quite happy with the old Fairfield surgery and its resouces, the important part of it was good doctors , the building wont fix you!
Dont the planners know that the rain in this part of Wales comes side ways and the sail roof does nothing to keep you dry? Is this another autocratic fantacy that we the public will pay dearly for.”