Issue 255 - East Down BT24 • BT30 • BT31 • BT33
Funding announced for Three Greenways Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has welcomed the announcement of funding from the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) to carry out feasibility work on three new Greenways across the district.
Staff at the Family Unit in Downe Hospital which has been praised for its compassionate Patient centered approach.
DOWNE HOSPITAL’S FRAILTY UNIT A CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE The Downe Hospital’s Acute Frailty Unit in Downpatrick, which opened its doors 10 years ago, has been praised for its compassionate patient centred approach to its older and elderly patients, right in the heart of the community. The Unit provides a ‘one stop shop health MOT’ with staff providing a comprehensive, same day health assessment for patients, preventing hospital admission, if possible. The Frailty Unit’s
services are designed to ease what can be a complex and stressful healthcare journey for older people. By offering assessment, treatment, follow-up and support in a single location, the Unit allows for smoother access to services at the
right time. Patient Father Sean Rogan, described the Frailty Unit, its staff and treatment as a, “Centre of Excellence.” “This place is excellent, the staff are courteous, helpful and so professional. Coming
to the Unit offers me a complete MOT. I have seen the Consultant, the Nurses have taken my bloods and I have had an x-ray. It is all here and everyone is so kind.”
Continued on page 4
The funding was announced in January by Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins as part of the Department’s continued support for councils to develop active travel and greenways infrastructure. The funding will support feasibility studies and design work on three priority Greenway routes identified within the Council’s 10-year Active Travel Masterplan. These include the Newry Canal Towpath route from Newry City to Poyntzpass, forming part of the wider Newry to Portadown Greenway and two key branches of the
Newcastle to Comber via Downpatrick Greenway - the Downpatrick to Ardglass route and the Ballynahinch Spur between Saintfield and Ballynahinch. All three routes were identified through extensive public consultation and stakeholder engagement and score highly within DfI’s Strategic NI Greenways Ranking Index. The Council will now progress the procurement of a specialist consultant team to undertake the surveys and technical investigations required to deliver the feasibility studies.