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Minister praises new health centre
12/06/2007
The new Minister for Public Health, Shona Robison, today saw how the Whitehills Health & Community Care Centre in Forfar is benefiting local people.
Whitehills is a fully integrated centre which brings together NHS, social work and voluntary services at one site.
Ms Robison is meeting professionals involved in health improvement across Tayside to discuss with them the emphasis she believes we should all place on improving health and well-being.
She said:
"Whitehills has been purpose built to fulfil the aims of improving care and local access to services. No longer do patients in Forfar have to travel elsewhere in Angus or to Dundee to access key services.
"It provides excellent in-patient facilities for mainly elderly patients, specialising in dementia, a range of outreach services and offers a high quality hospice for palliative care.
"People are benefiting from joint working between health, social work and voluntary services which improves the quality of care. For example, the health and social work professionals in the integrated community mental health team are working together to maintain people in their own homes and to support adults with a wide range of mental health problems.
"There are a variety of out-patient clinics operating here and this range of medical expertise means that in-patients can quickly access specialist input too."
The Whitehills Health & Community Care Centre meets a range of healthcare needs including:
- Aminor injury/illness unit
- X-ray
- Women and child health services
- Out-patient
- Therapy services
- Dentistry
- Day centre for physically disabled
- Drug and alcohol services
- School health
- Community mental health
- Speech and language therapy
- Nutrition and dietetics
- Continence service
- Community pharmacy
- In-patient services
There are 60 in-patient beds (20 for specialist dementia, 20 for medicine for elderly, 16 for intermediate care and 4 palliative care hospice beds).