MINISTER FOR HEALTH & CHILDREN OPENS CORK’S FIRST WALK-IN URGENT CARE CLINIC
- Vhi SwiftCare Clinic opens in Cork

10th November 2008 – The Minister for Health & Children, Mary Harney T.D., today opened Cork’s first walk-in urgent care clinic - the Vhi SwiftCare Clinic located in City Gate, Mahon, Cork.   Over 120,000 patients have been treated in the existing Vhi SwiftCare Clinics to date, with an average of 1200 patients being seen each week.  It is projected that in the next year alone, 100,000 patients will be treated in a Vhi SwiftCare Clinic.

The top five conditions currently presenting at the clinics are soft tissue injuries, fractures, sprains & strains, respiratory problems and minor cuts.  Approximately 40% of patients visiting the clinics have required x-rays, and the remainder have received consultations in relation to non skeletal presentations including minor burns, cuts requiring a stitch, sporting injuries and other non-urgent conditions. 

The Cork Vhi SwiftCare Clinic aims to treat all patients within one hour and is open to all members of the public, not just Vhi Healthcare members, from 8am to 10pm, seven days a week, 365 days a year.  This is the fifth Vhi SwiftCare Clinic opened by Vhi Healthcare in partnership with Centric Health.  An out of hours dental service will also be available in the Cork Clinic to treat dental emergencies requiring immediate attention outside of regular dentist’s hours.  Where appropriate this service will refer patients back to their regular dentist for further treatment.

Speaking at the launch, Minister for Health & Children, Mary Harney T.D. stated that “I am very pleased to officially open the latest Vhi Swiftcare Clinic, which provides a walk-in urgent care centre designed to complement hospital A&E services and traditional primary facilities. These clinics are an innovative move by Vhi Healthcare and their partners, and as demonstrated by the numbers attending similar Swiftcare Clinics elsewhere in the country, patients clearly welcome their development."

Jimmy Tolan, Chief Executive, Vhi Healthcare, commented that “Vhi Healthcare takes pride in continuously innovating to meet the needs of its customers and the development of Vhi SwiftCare Clinics with our partners Centric Health is an example of this in action.  It is very clear to me that the manner and the setting in which medical care is delivered will radically change in the years ahead.  In my opinion patients welcome an alternative to visiting an A&E Department when they have a minor injury or illnesss.  We look forward to bringing this choice to patients in Cork city and county and have no doubt that our Cork Vhi SwiftCare Clinic will be a great success.”  

Dr Ray Power, Medical Director, Vhi SwiftCare Clinics stated, “We are delighted to have established a presence in Munster through the Vhi SwiftCare  Clinics now open here in Mahon and also recently in the Whitfield Clinic in Waterford City. It creates a national footprint for Vhi SwiftCare Clinics for the first time which is very important.  We are proud of what we do, respectful of the support we have received from our patients and intent on delivering the best possible clinical and patient-orientated experience possible.  We look forward to complementing existing services provided by GPs and Hospital Specialists in Cork and offering enhanced choice for patients.”

The Vhi SwiftCare Clinics are run as a joint initiative between Vhi Healthcare, Ireland’s largest private health insurer and Centric Health, a primary care medical company founded by Dr. Ray Power and Dr. Maurice Cox.