About
Áth Trasna Medical Centre
Our definition of General Practice
We are a group of doctors who have completed specialist training as “Generalists”, doctors who have been specifically trained to work at the frontline of a health service and to take the initial steps to provide care for any health problems that patients may have.
GP’s take care of individuals in society, irrespective of patient’s type of disease or other personal or social characteristics and organize the resources available in the healthcare system to the best advantage of the patient.
Though a significant part of our workload is in treating illness, more and more, we are engaging with anticipatory care, disease prevention, early intervention, health promotion. As our population ages and life expectancy increases, it is vital that we ensure that the health of the patient is maximized throughout the life cycle. The foundations for good health are laid down from childhood. Thus, we have a cradle to the grave approach to patient care, looking after families, and addressing most health needs in the community, linking, when necessary, with specialist care for particular problems.
Our GP’s have developed areas of interest, through post – graduate training, to augment the care we provide in areas such as Women’s health, Childcare, pregnancy care, Diabetes, Cardiology, Musculo-skeletal medicine.
We aim to keep up to date through Continuous medical Education, so that we practice evidence- based medicine. Fundamental to this is our commitment to medial education and life – long learning. We are heavily involved in both undergraduate and post graduate teaching, with associations with the Department of General Practice Undergraduate Training in University Cork and the Southwest training Scheme of the Irish College of General Practice Training. We greatly appreciate the kindness and generosity of our patients in helping to train future doctors.
Communication skills and Consultation techniques are amongst the greatest tools available to the General Practitioner. We build up a significant data base, over time, on our patients, and this is vital in providing the highest quality of healthcare. This information is treated with the highest level of respect and confidentiality.
Our GP’s work in a team at Ath Trasna, with nurses and support staff who share the mission statement of the practice, while maintaining the same level of respect and confidentiality for the patient.
Our nurses, equally, have developed specialized areas of responsibility which allows the practice to provide an extensive range of services. The nurses participate in continuing professional development through the Practice Nurses Association, so that they maintain, and develop, high standards of care.
Our administrative staff are the backbone to ensuring the service operates as smoothly as possible. They are also very much in “the firing line “for contact with all comers. The COVID experience has underlined just how challenging their job is. They always do the very best they can to accommodate the reasonable demands of those engaging with the practice, but ask for courtesy, respect, and patience in return. Telephone contact with the practice has grown exponentially, and we are currently looking at alternative means of contact, to maintain service, while also ensuring the health and safety of staff.
Team approach
Our practice members enjoy working as a team, with the patient at the centre of all we do. We have regular meetings to ensure compliance with Health & Safety requirements, to develop and to review policies and to ensure that the practice delivers high quality care in a pleasant building with standards of hygiene and care which we can be proud of, while retaining the values and ethos we have established over 33 years in Newmarket.
Team approach
We are proud to have been integrally involved in the concept of the Primary Care team and for the development of the Duhallow Primary Care Complex, from which the Newmarket Primary Care team operates. We are the anchor GP practice in the Primary Care Complex, and look forward, with other practices in the area, to becoming part of the Primary Care team, where health care professionals and ancillary staff provide an enhanced level of support to the people of this community.
Within the Newmarket Primary Care team, patients have access to a group of health care professionals and support staff, who work, together, to enhance the well – being of the population we serve. In this building we have Public Health nurses, Physiotherapy, Occupational therapy, Speech and Language, Dietician, Home help, Podiatry. We also had the Mental Health team and have visiting services from Diabetic Retinal Screening Programme and Community Health Doctors.
To provide best care, information, with your permission, has to be shared, on occasion. This ensures you benefit form the collective expertise in a structured, co-ordinated, but confidential manner.
This team is developing at pace, and we look forward to further innovations as more and more services become community based as part of the Slaintecare initiative.