Social distancing at network of 39 coronavirus assessment hubs ‘a challenge’

Maintaining social distancing will be “quite a challenge” at the 39 HSE-run coronavirus community assessment hubs after the first open this week, the president of the Irish College of General Practitioners has said.

Cork GP Dr Mary Favier said that the supply of protective equipment for the GPs, nurses and administrative staff would be "critical" and a "minimum requirement" for the functioning of the network of hubs across the country, which aim to help manage the pandemic in Ireland.

“Trying to apply social distancing for staff is quite a challenge, and we will all be wearing PPE [personal protective equipment] so the risk to each other is limited, but still it is an issue,” said Dr Favier, who is a member of the GP expert group on the Covid-19 outbreak.

“We would expect the patients coming in to be Covid-positive or highly suspicious of Covid disease, so they will have the virus themselves or it will be highly probable that they will have the virus. The concerns around that are significant.”

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The hubs, including 11 in Dublin and four in Cork, will open to patients only where they have been referred by GPs. The first patients are expected to be assessed from Friday in the hubs in Dublin and Cork. There will initially be between 10 and 15 open.

Most of the hubs around the country are based in or next to existing primary care centres in the HSE network. The HSE said they will be open from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.

Infected patients

The aim of the network is to protect hospitals from a surge of Covid-positive patients entering emergency departments, to manage infected patients in the community and to protect GP surgeries, their doctors and staff to allow a return to more normalised general practice.

“One thing we are concerned about is where have all the patients gone in terms of significant illness? They are just not attending their GPs. They are not even ringing us,” said Dr Favier.

The Cork doctor acknowledged that patients might be trying to protect GPs from infection or they might be afraid they could be infected by the virus in GP surgeries.

“We are saying to people, if you have got a breast lump or testicular lump please tell us, we can deal with it on the phone and then arrange for an examination as appropriate,” she said.

“Anything that you would normally go to the doctor about – by all means think twice but don’t think three times.”

The standard telephone assessment of patients will be made by their GP who can then refer patients to the local hub if there are clinical concerns about deteriorating symptoms.

Treatment

Patients will be assessed by nurses and GPs at their local hub, and they can be advised to continue recovering at home or can be referred to an acute hospital for treatment.

The hubs can also refer people to a self-isolation unit if they cannot self-isolate at home.

The HSE community assessment hubs are modelled on similar triage centres that have been opened in Northern Ireland and Australia to segregate Covid-19-positive cases or suspected cases away from hospitals and other sick non-Covid-19 patients attending GP surgeries.

CORONAVIRUS ASSESSMENT HUBS - where are they?

• District Hospital, Athy Road, Carlow
• Ballinagh Health Centre, Ballinagh, Co Cavan
• Shannon Health Centre Town Centre, Shannon, Co Clare
• St Mary's Health Campus, Baker's Road, Gurranabraher, Cork
• Ballincollig Primary Care Centre, Old Fort Road, Ballincollig, Cork
• Mallow Gilbert Centre HSE Assessment Hub, New Road Mallow, Co Cork
• Bantry Primary Care Centre, Droumleigh South, Bantry, Co Cork
• Community Inclusion Hub, Kilmacrennan Road, Letterkenny, Co Donegal
• Cabinteely Health Centre, Meadow Vale, Blackrock, Co Dublin
• Gate Lodge, Clonskeagh Hospital, Clonskeagh Road, Dublin 6
• Steeple House Primary Care Centre, Thornfield Square, Clondalkin, Dublin 22
• Rialto Primary Care Centre, 379-383 South Circular Road, Dublin 8
• Millbrook Lawns Health Centre, St Dominick's Rd, Tallaght, Dublin
• Edenmore, Tonlegee Road, Raheny, Dublin 5
• Cuan Aoibheann, St Marys Hospital Phoenix Park, Dublin
• Old Health Centre, 14 Hampton Street, Balbriggan, Co Dublin
• Central Remedial Clinic, Penny Ansley Building Clontarf, Vernon Avenue, Dublin
• Navan Road Primary Care Centre, Navan Road Dublin 7
• Dublin City University Medical Centre, DCU, Dublin
• Unit 3, Merlin Park University Hospital, Dublin Road, Galway
• Castleisland Primary Care Centre, Kealgorm House, Limerick Rd, Castleisland, Co Kerry
• Enable Ireland, Jigginstown, Naas Co Kildare
• 7 Old Newbridge Health Centre, Henry Street, Newbridge, Co Kildare
• Kilcreene Hospital Kilcreene, Kilkenny
• St Fintan's (former Midoc), Stradbally Road, Portlaoise, Co Laois
• Southhill Health Centre, 291A Donough O'Malley Park, Limerick
• Longford Primary Care Centre, Flancare Business Park, Athlone Road, Longford
• Social Inclusion Building, Drogheda Industrial Park, Denore Road, Drogheda, Co Louth
• Community Assessment Hub, County Clinic Westport Road, Castlebar, Co Mayo
• Slane Health Centre, Chapel Street, Slane, Co Meath
• Crannog Day Care Centre Bree, Castleblayney, Co, Monaghan
• Clara Health Centre, The Green, Clara, Co Offaly
• Sligo Community Assessment Hub, Ballytivnan Training Centre, Clarion Road, Co Sligo
• Cahir Primary Care Centre, Rosemount Close, Cashel Road, Cahir, Co Tipperary
• Roscrea Primary Care Centre Grange, Templemore Road, Roscrea, Co Tipperary
• University Hospital Waterford, Dunmore Road, Waterford
• Clonbrusk Resource Centre, Clonbrusk, Athlone Co Westmeath
• Wexford General Hospital, Newtown Road, Carricklawn, Wexford
• Glenside (Old Ambulance Base) Wicklow District Hospital, Colley Street, Co Wicklow