Departments
Department of Primary Care
The Department of Primary Care has a specific responsibility to manage and develop the provision of GP services across the Board's area. Over 200 General Practitioners and their teams work from 77 GP practices of various sizes to provide GP services throughout the Board's area. The Department maintains a register of GPs who are entitled to provide services within its area - the Primary Medical Performers List. This list is maintained by and can be accessed at Central Service Agency (LINK). The GPs on this list have completed training as GPs and are registered with the General Medical Council.
GP services are in themselves both broad and complex. They include:
- The care and management of a wide spectrum of illness ranging from minor to more serious conditions suffered by patients of all ages, and encompassing both physical and mental ill health
- The management of chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma and coronary heart disease.
- The provision of health promotion advice to patients registered with the practice along with advice on child, travel and flu immunisation services and screening programmes such as cervical screening.
- Many practices provide a range of other services such as minor surgery, anticoagulation monitoring, etc. Each individual practice can provide details of the services it provides.
All GP practices are obliged to provide a practice leaflet outlining their specific services and arrangements for appointments and access to healthcare professionals. Everyone resident within the area, who is eligible for healthcare services, has the opportunity to register with a general medical practitioner. If patients have any difficulty finding a practice, or if they have any questions about eligibility for registration in their area, they can contact the Central Services Agency.
Out of Hours Care -
The operational responsibility of Southern Area Urgent Care Services (SAUCS) transferred to the Southern Health and Social Care Trust (SHSCT) in April 2007. Questions about the provision of out of hours care can be found at SAUCS page, click here or on link below.
Who's Who in Primary Care?
| Name | Title | Contact Telephone Number | Contact Email Address |
| Dr Robert Thompson | Senior Medical Advisor in Primary Care | 028 3741 4572 | robertth@shssb.n-i.nhs.uk |
| Dr Mary Donnelly | Medical Adviser in Primary Care | 028 3741 4377 | marydo@shssb.n-i.nhs.uk |
| Dr June Wilson | Medical Adviser in Primary Care | 028 3741 4403 | junewi@shssb.n-i.nhs.uk |
| Geraldine Connolly | Primary Care Development Manager & Nurse Advisor | 028 3741 4573 | geraldco@shssb.n-i.nhs.uk |
| Daphne Harra | Monitoring & Development Manager | 028 3741 4414 | daphneha@shssb.n-i.nhs.uk |
| Michele Bekmez | Effective Healthcare Facilitator | 028 3741 4637 | michelbe@shssb.n-i.nhs.uk |
| Lesley Hutchinson | GMS Administration Manager | 028 3741 4415 | lesleyhu@shssb.n-i.nhs.uk |
| Mark Lowry | Primary Care ICT Manager | 028 3741 4430 | marklo@shssb.n-i.nhs.uk |
| Andy Gregg | Primary Care Information Analyst | 028 3741 4354 | andrewgr@shssb.n-i.nhs.uk |
The above staff are based at the following address.
| Department of Primary Care |
| Tower Hill |
| Armagh |
| Co Armagh |
| Northern Ireland |
| BT61 9DR |
The Department of Primary Care has responsibility for the following:-
SALT - Southern Area Learning as Teams
Click here to access the SALT page.
The SHSCT has responsibility for the following:-
SAUCS - Southern Area Urgent Care Services
Click here to access the SAUCS page.
Associated Downloads and Useful Documents within Primary Care
| Caring for People Beyond Tomorrow - A Strategic Framework for Primary Care |  |
Links to Useful Sites within Primary Care