by Alan Jacques
A PILOT primary healthcare clinic for the homeless, drug users, migrants and other marginalised groups has marked it first year in operation in Limerick.
The clinic is based out of the Ana Liffey Drug Project at the Fairgreen on Wednesday afternoons and at the St Vincent DePaul Drop-in Centre on Hartstonge Street on Thursday from 2.30 to 5pm. The aim of the clinic is to improve access to primary healthcare for people who have difficulties in accessing and availing of primary care services in the city.
The need for the clinic was identified during a consultation process undertaken by Dr Patrick O’Donnell, a 34 year-old Limerick GP who is a Clinical Fellow in Social Inclusion at the UL Graduate Entry Medical School.
He now runs the clinics at the two city centre locations where he has seen over 200 patients and recorded more than 500 consultations in the last year. In future the clinics will also serve as sites for research and the teaching of students on issues related to the healthcare of marginalised groups.
The clinic was established by the Partnership for Health Equity (PHE) which is a collaboration of clinicians, medical educators, social scientists and healthcare policy makers and planners. It is funded by UL, the North Dublin City General Practice Training Programme and the HSE.
Professor Anne MacFarlane, Professor of Primary Healthcare Research at the UL Medical School said that there’s consistent evidence that people who need primary care are least likely to get it.
“This low threshold GP clinic is an important service which strives to provide GP care to people with complex health and social care needs. Knowledge from the clinic will inform new research projects and recommendations for policy. This feedback loop between practice, research and policy is essential for improving the nature of primary healthcare service provision,” she explained.
The project is being supported by Safetynet which is a networking organisation for doctors, nurses and voluntary agencies who provide primary health care to homeless people and other marginalised groups in Dublin, Cork and Galway.
To mark the clinic’s first anniversary, Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan visited the service at St Vincent DePaul Drop-in Centre last Friday when she is very supportive of the important work that the GP clinic is achieving.
“The clinic is reaching out to vulnerable people who may otherwise not receive the advice and care they need. Dr O’Donnell and his partners in this initiative are making a real difference in people’s lives,” said Minister O’Sullivan.
“In less than a year there have been more than 400 patient contacts which proves how necessary this service is,” she concluded.
