Fahan Health Centre to be part of new 'aligned' area but no plans to remove PHN says HSE

Local people recently launched a campaign to ensure the future of the centre amid strong concerns it has closed.

A meeting was held on Thursday, July 24 with representatives from the Fahan Health Centre Committee and a number of public representatives.

In a statement, the HSE said the purpose of the meeting was ‘to allay any concerns raised by the group and to explain how the Public Health Nursing (PHN) service operates in the county and in particular the Fahan area’.

They added: “The HSE reiterated that there are no plans to remove the PHN service from Fahan Health Centre and PHN services continue to be provided as defined by the needs of the patients in that area.

“The PHN service operates a Monday to Friday service 9am to 5pm. If you wish to make an appointment to see the Nurse in the Fahan Health centre please Tel: 074 93 31597 leave a voicemail and the Nurse will return your call, voicemails left after 10.30am will be dealt with the following day.

“Given that community health nursing is predominately a domiciliary service, the nurse will not always be available at the health centre. Appointments are scheduled in advance for the nurse depending on the patient’s needs. The PHN service will continue to have a nurse providing a service to all in Fahan and the surrounding areas.

“The Public Health Nursing Service is made up of a group of nurses i.e. both PHNs and Community Registered General Nurses (CRGNs) with differing skill sets and caseloads responsibilities. This is a pre- planned, non-emergency service provided in the home or by appointment in the health centre by nurses who have the skill set to provide the appropriate care for the needs of the patients.

“Competencies in all skills required for the provision of a community service that is responsive to the needs of the population, are maintained through regular exposure of nurses to all nursing interventions, and through mandatory training and upskilling.”

The HSE confirmed that the Fahan active caseload ‘currently consists of 20 clients’.

"The normal standard number of clients for a Public Health Nurse is 40/50 in order to ensure that they maintain their skills across all competencies relating to general nursing care.

“In order to provide an equitable and skilled service it was decided Fahan area would be realigned to Buncrana lower and Muff West. This would ensure patients would continue to receive a quality service and that the Nurse would maintain competency on all skills required to fulfil the role.

“The Fahan Area is now being managed by two PHNs and a CRGN who cover the newly realigned area of Fahan, Buncrana lower and Muff West.

“Client files were sorted into the realigned areas and sent to the Nurse(s) assigned to that area so that they would have access to notes for accurate record keeping.

“Where the client is able to come to the centre they are invited to do so by appointment, otherwise the care is delivered into the home. Any telephone messages that are received are checked and responded to within a 24 hour period, which is the norm for this service across the county. All messages have been responded to within this timeframe where contact information has been made known to the nurse. There has been no deterioration of the service provided at Fahan and all clients who have needed a service have received a service, in line with their needs.

They added: “The HSE will continue to liaise and engage locally with this group.”