Opening of Vhi SwiftCare Clinic at Dublin City University
- 19 June 2006

An Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney T.D. today officially opened Ireland's second walk-in urgent care facility, Vhi SwiftCare Clinic in partnership with The Well, located in Dublin City University, Collins Avenue, Dublin 9. The Clinic, which is located in a purpose built facility adjacent to the School of Nursing building in Dublin City University, is modelled exactly on Vhi SwiftCare Clinic in Balally and will provide rapid assessment, treatment and advice for patients with a range of minor injuries and illnesses.

The first Vhi SwiftCare Clinic opened in November 2005 and has already treated 6000 patients, a proportion of whom may otherwise have had to attend an Accident & Emergency Department. The top five conditions presenting at the Balally facility in the first six months were soft tissue injuries, fractures, sprains & strains, respiratory problems and minor cuts. 50% of patients visiting the Balally Clinic have required x-rays, 15% have availed of pathology services and the remainder have received consultations in relation to minor burns, cuts requiring a stitch, sporting injuries and other non-urgent conditions.

Opening the facility, The Tanaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney TD said, " I am pleased to open the second Vhi SwiftCare Clinic This is a unique partnership between Vhi Healthcare, The Well and DCU that will provide a community based urgent care centre in North Dublin. There is a natural synergy between the partners and I welcome this initiative. Vhi Swiftcare Clinic is a walk-in urgent care centre based closely on well established Australian and US Models. Vhi Swiftcare has the medical personnel and infrastructure to see treat and discharge at least 60% of the conditions presenting at A&E. Last November I opened the first Vhi Swiftcare Clinic in Dundrum and since then some 6,000 patients have been treated. These are patients that would otherwise have been treated in A&E facilities. The typical presentation have included minor fractures, lacerations, soft tissue injuries, burns and acute but not life threatening medical conditions that require intervention.”

Dr Alan Forrester, Medical Director, Vhi SwiftCare Clinics stated, “Our experience in the Vhi SwiftCare Clinic in Balally has shown that patients welcome an alternative to visiting an A&E when they have a minor injury and understand the types of injuries that we treat. Only 2% of the patients that we have treated to date have required further hospital follow up or admission. We look forward to providing patients on Dublin’s northside with a similar alternative and to providing GPs in the area with community diagnostic facilities.”

Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski, President of Dublin City University, stated, “The development of the Vhi SwiftCare Clinic on the Dublin City University campus will be significant for the University’s profile as a leader in innovation, enterprise and commitment to the community. The opening of the Clinic means that there will be an on-site state-of-the-art modern facility using the best medical and nursing expertise, new innovative models of healthcare provision and a patient-centric model. It is generally accepted that access to community diagnostic facilities needs development on the Northside of Dublin and the opening of a walk-in urgent care facility on the DCU campus should go someway towards addressing this need. DCU will be reinvesting the income from its 20 per cent share in this campus project in other healthcare initiatives for the local community.”

As with Vhi SwiftCare Clinic in Balally, conditions that the Dublin City University facility will treat include: sprains, bumps and bruises, potential breaks, minor burns or cuts that may need a stitch. The Clinic will not cover serious medical emergencies such as a patient experiencing difficulty breathing, severe chest pain, acute stomach pain, loss of consciousness or severe burns. The Clinic can be visited by all members of the public, not just Vhi Healthcare members, and will be open 365 days a year from 8am to 10pm.

Patients visiting the Clinic will be charged an initial consultation payment of €85 (or €45 if a patient is referred by their GP). However cases requiring further treatment or tests will have additional costs such as the following:

• * X-ray: €65
• * Blood Tests: €30-€50
• * Stitches: €50
• * Plastering €50
• * Physiotherapy (by appointment): €50

Patients are not required to make an advance appointment at the Vhi SwiftCare Clinic and it is expected that they will present themselves or will be referred by their GP. The Clinic will offer quality medical care and the aim will be that patients will be seen by a member of the medical team shortly after arrival and the majority of cases will be treated and discharged within one hour.

For patients presenting themselves in Vhi SwiftCare Clinic, on site diagnostic x-ray services are provided as well as access to blood pathology diagnostic services. There are also a broad range of treatment services including suturing and plaster application. The aim is to provide an urgent care service and to ensure the patient is referred back to their regular GP when appropriate. However, a limited range of follow up services such as fracture clinics, suture removal and physiotherapy are provided.

The Clinics will also provide a community diagnostic service for local GP’s whereby patients, following referral by their GP, can simply walk-in during Clinic hours, directly receive their diagnostic test and be advised to attend their GP who will be forwarded the results.

The doctors staffing the Clinic will have significant experience both in General Practice and also in Emergency Care and will be overseen by Dr Alan Forrester, Medical Director, Vhi SwiftCare Clinics.

ENDS