Government is introducing a sub-acute care facility at the Geriatric Hospital, which will allow elderly patients to be referred from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to the new facility for continued treatment.

Health Minister John Boyce announced the initiative today at a seminar entitled: The Way Forward for Geriatric Care, targeted at nurses working with the elderly.

The Minister said the new facility was part of Government???s plan to centralise its geriatric services, and he further disclosed that in order to facilitate this, the Geriatric Hospital at Beckles Road, St. Michael, would be refurbished.

The improved facility would also allow for the strengthening of the delivery of rehabilitation services at the Geriatric Hospital, he added.

Mr. Boyce also revealed that the Ministry of Health was currently addressing the centralisation of its kitchen and laundry services at health care institutions island-wide. ???The centralising of the services is intended to curtail wastage as a means of financial saving during these hard economic times,??? he said.

The Health Minister told the nurses that training and re-training of staff was also high on Government???s agenda in areas such as geriatric care, rehabilitation and recreational therapy.

He noted: ???We are all cognisant of the fact that the nursing profession is the backbone of health care and remains a vital component in the provision of health care for all of our citizens. The image a nurse creates in the eyes of the public is determined by the sound application of knowledge, skills and professional conduct. Health care professionals who demonstrate these competencies in each and every encounter with their patients will earn the respect of everyone.???

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