A Community Assessment Hub is set to open in Letterkenny next week to assess patients with non-severe cases of Covid-19.
The clinic will be located at the Community Inclusion Hub on the Kilmacrennan Road close to Letterkenny University Hospital.
The aim of the unit is to divert Covid-19 positive patients who are mildly symptomatic and require medical assessment away from the acute hospital system.
Patients will be offered clinical assessments by a team of healthcare staff to determine if they can recover at home or if they require hospital treatment.
The staff team will be made up of Nurses, Doctors and Allied Health Professionals alongside Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Paramedics.
The HSE plans to open the Community Assessment Hubs in the week beginning the 13th of April. The Unit will provide services from Monday to Sunday, with opening hours agreed locally and within the hours of 8am to 8pm as staffing and referrals allow.
Attendance at the unit will be by appointment only. There will be no walk in capacity.
People can only access these units for assessment by GP referral. The standard telephone assessment will be completed by the patient’s GP who can then refer patients to the local hub if there are clinical concerns about deteriorating symptoms. Referrals to Assessment Hubs will be accepted from GP Out of Hours services also.
Referred patients will be assessed by nurses and GPs at the Hub and a clinical decision can then be made as to whether they can be supported to continue to recover at home or be referred to acute hospital for treatment. Patients may also be referred to a self-isolation unit if they cannot self-isolate at home.
There are four designated hubs in the HSE CHO-1 area. Each of the facilities has parking on site for staff and patients. Wheelchair accessibility is available on sites. Ambulance access can be facilitated on each site.