A dedicated GP service is available to the residents of The Four Ferns. We provide medical and nursing care in The Four Ferns, working closely with the nursing staff. We are the only GP service in Ireland that provides a dedicated service to the residents of nursing homes and strive for an excellent quality of care.
I have a keen interest in complex care and medicine for the elderly and have worked in several different London-based integrated care and nursing home projects and held an academic associate position in University College London before moving to Ireland in 2016. I graduated from Cardiff University with degrees in medicine and physiology in 2007 and became a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners in 2014 and more recently completed a diploma in diabetes from the University of Warwick.
I am the clinical lead for the GP service which, I believe, the only Irish GP clinic dedicated to residents of nursing homes. We have created a framework of care that allows us to deliver beyond what is mandated by the HSE. Nursing home residents are excluded from much of the progress made in traditional general practice – services like the HSE Chronic Disease Management programme, for example. We bridge that gap by bringing these services into the nursing home using regular reviews by both the GP and our practice nurse, Sarah Toland.
We take a balanced and tailored approach to care. What is right for one resident, may not be right for the next. We are here to listen to everyone – firstly the resident but also those around them to find the right path and anticipate and work through some of the challenges ahead.
Sarah qualified as a nurse in 2007 following her training in Trinity College and Tallaght Hospital. She has worked in general practice for 14 years. She provides chronic disease care including diabetes, asthma and COPD. Sarah coordinates the in-house bone health service and is a registered nurse prescriber. Given Sarah’s experience and qualifications, she is able to manage many conditions independently. She is very popular with the residents, families and staff.
Alex has worked in primary care for over 20 years and has extensive knowledge of primary care. Alex coordinates the non-clinical side of the medical team.
The change from accompanying your loved one to appointments to having the doctor visit them in the nursing home can leave a gap in communication which can be stressful. The nursing staff will keep you up to date after every GP visit, but should you need to have more detailed discussion then please book an appointment.