Northern Ireland Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, has said that investment in primary care facilities is an ‘enabler of change’ in health and social care.

He was speaking during a visit to Banbridge Group Surgery, which has received a £900,000 investment from the Northern Ireland Department of Health to improve facilities and services for patients.

Banbridge Group Surgery, which houses three GP practices and provides services to more than 22,000 patients, received capital funding from the Department of Health’s Primary Care Infrastructure Development programme.

The money has funded an extension to the existing premises and provided the practices with extra space to support the rollout of the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) model.

The MDT model involves specialist staff such as physiotherapists, mental health staff, and social workers working alongside GPs and practice staff and means patients can see different specialists within the GP practice, reducing the need for referrals and appointments elsewhere.

Nesbitt said: “The main objectives of the department’s investment programme is to support the reform agenda through shifting services closer to home and delivering person-centred care, thus reducing the pressure on hospitals and helping to facilitate earlier discharge from hospital.

“There is recognition that investment in primary care infrastructure acts as an enabler for change.

“This significant investment of almost £900,000 for Banbridge Group Surgery will enable its practices to continue to provide a wide range of services to the local population, without patients having to travel outside of the area.

“The investment has created an excellent extension of the premises which provides staff with the space to increase capacity.

“This is a positive step in futureproofing services for the Newry & District GP Federation area.”

The investment has resulted in the addition of two new clinical consulting rooms for physiotherapy, three additional interview or therapy rooms for mental health and social workers, and additional administrative spaces.

Dr Julie Mockford, GP partner at Banbridge Group Surgery, said:

“Doctors, staff, and patients are all delighted with the development of our new extension, which was taken forward by the Banbridge Group Surgery GPs with funding from the Department of Health.

“This extension has provided more space to help accommodate some members of our multidisciplinary team, including physiotherapists, social workers, mental health practitioners, and pharmacists, bringing these services to our patients based in their own community.

“The significant benefits of MDT input for our patients to date is a testimony to the importance of investment in primary care, and with all three practices facilitating the training of Queen’s University Belfast medical students, too, we are taking important steps in futureproofing general practice.”

Since the launch of the Primary Care Infrastructure Development scheme in 2018/19, the department has invested £33m in similar developments across trust, GP, and third-party-owned premises.