Pictured at the new GP Out of Hours Service at the Lagan Valley Hospital are (l-r) Dr. David McCreary, Medical Manager Lagan Doc; Mr Mark Armstrong, Primary Care Unscheduled Care Manager; Ms Nicki Patterson, Director of Primary Care, Older People & Executive Director of Nursing; Alderman James Tinsley, Chairman of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council’s Health Working Group; Dr. Theresa Donaldson, Chief Executive, Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council and Ms Brenda Arthurs, Assistant Director of Primary Care and Nursing.

Representatives from Lisburn City Council have welcomed the move of the City’s GP Out of Hours Service at Lagan Valley Hospital.

The Chairman of the Council’s Health Working Group, Alderman James Tinsley and the Council’s Chief Executive, Dr Theresa Donaldson, recently visited the newly refurbished premises adjacent to the hospital’s Emergency Department, which opened in November 2015.

Welcoming the opening of the new Out of Hours Service, Alderman Tinsley said: “The relocation of the stand-alone Out of Hours Surgery from the back of the grounds of the hospital, to beside the current Emergency Department should be more convenient to patients and should provide closer collaboration with other services based at the hospital, helping to ensure patients are directed to the most appropriate service and care as quickly as possible.”
“This is another step by the Trust in providing the most appropriate and accessible care for our residents and will help ensure future local patient services at The Lagan Valley,” said Alderman Tinsley.

GP Out of Hours Service operates Monday to Friday 6pm to 8am and is open 24 hours at weekends and bank holidays. Patients must telephone first to speak to a doctor for medical advice and priority is given to those with the most urgent medical conditions.
The GP Out of Hours service provides primary care for conditions managed by a person’s family doctor (GP) when the daytime surgery is closed. It is not equipped to provide any services offered by an Emergency Department or a Nurse Led Minor Injuries Unit.

Patients invited to the Out of Hours Centre will come in through the main Emergency Department entrance and proceed to the GP Out of Hours reception desk. Their details will be confirmed by a receptionist and they will be asked to take a seat until they are called by the duty doctor.
The closer working between GP Out of Hours and the Emergency Department will be mutually beneficial when both are operational as patients can be directed to the most appropriate service to meet their individual needs.