Just what the doctor ordered!

WHEN a group of community advocates from different parts of the Parish of Duneane come together under the direction of the late Cathal Boyd Snr in the O’Neill Arms Hotel almost 30 years ago, their vision was to help provide Toome village and its periphery with the best possible basic services.

These were greatly lacking at the time - and there was also a drive to improve the morale of residents and aesthetically enhance the local area.

A key priority highlighted by residents after a community survey was the requirement for a local doctor’s surgery, as the closest at the time was Randalstown, six miles away, to which public transport was minimal.

As a response to the pressing need for enhanced healthcare facilities, members of the community of Toomebridge united under the banner of TIDAL (Toome Industrial Development Amenities and Leisure Regeneration Group), pooling their efforts to bring forth the opening of a surgery within Toome House in 2000.

Embarking on a daunting journey, the inexperienced but capable group spent considerable time sourcing land to purchase and build.

After facing considerable barriers, a site of swamp and marsh was identified beside St Oliver Plunketts Church, but TIDAL had a vision.

The building would later become known as ‘Toome House’.

Today TIDAL, through Toome House, have not strayed far from their original vision, and continue to offer internal spaces in the premises for groups and classes.

However the scope of service in and around Toome House has expanded greatly, as there are now a number of additional services available at the premises including a dentist, pharmacy, podiatrist, and wellness clinic, to name a few.

Dr Selbert Rainey, one of the resident GPs in Randalstown Surgery took the bold step of coming to help initiate a practice in the newly purpose-built surgery within Toome House.

As many of his patients were from the local area, he knew the layout of the land well and understood the great need for community enhancement, not only through medicinal practices but by bringing the community together and improving the lives of inhabitants through social prescribing.

This ethos is still as strong today, as Toome House is now a Healthy Living Centre and is part of an award winning network of 29 community-led health improvement organisations, based in areas of high health inequalities throughout the country, both rural and urban.

Healthy Living Centres are a key driver in connecting people to services and linking the health sector and wider public sector up to working class communities.

Toome House Healthy Living Centre has been a member of the HLC Alliance since 2019 and since then has taken advantage of regional health improvement opportunities such as social prescribing and the Better Days Pain Support programme.

These initiatives are designed at regional level by working groups within the Alliance but delivered in local communities.

Toome House Healthy Living Centre’s membership of the Alliance has provided the local community access to a deep pool of knowledge and experience in tackling mental health using a community development approach, working with local doctors and pharmacists, as well and utilising local amenities, such as Toome Canal, The Duneane Allotment and social enterprises to improve the lifestyle and health of the local community.

Dr Rainey passed away in 2022, speaking at the time of his death, the Directors of TIDAL community group in Toome said: “Dr Rainey provided the community with an excellent service and dedicated duty of care to one and all of his patients and became a close friend of the group.

He held this position until his retirement, although kept in contact with the group to enquire about the community he had served as it was so dear to him.’’

This week, a new extension of the current Toome Surgery, part of Toome House, will be officially opened.

With no room to extend the footprint of the building, the only way was up, and the new project, undertaken by Cleary Contracting, will provide a bigger consulting area and rooms for a mental health worker and physiotherapist. 

The Antrim Guardian recently joined members of the TIDAL community group, which runs Toome House, board member John Laverty and company secretary Una Johnston, along with Dr Amanda Watterson, one of the GPs working out of the newly-expanded surgery - and they couldn’t be happier with the new addition, with £80k part funded from TIDAL, and the remaining investment from the Health Board.

There has also been high praise for Danske Bank, for their support towards the development.

Dr Watterson said: “We have so much more space and it’s such a good professional setting and comfortable for staff and patients. 

“The growth of the village, with so many more housing developments under construction and a rise in population, means that more services are required and we are pleased to be working closely with TIDAL to provide these services as quickly as possible.

“I started here in 2010 and our registrations have gone from 2400 to 4600.

“We are also a GP training practice with links to the University of Ulster and Queen’s, so it is great to be able to accommodate new and trainee staff at a time when getting new doctors on board is more important than ever.”

Dr Watterson added: “The patients have been so - patient!

“But the work was done very respectfully and the contractors were brilliant, and the chapel next door allowed people to use their car park, which we appreciated very much.

“A lot of surgeries struggle for parking but even during covid, we were able to offer drive-through vaccinations rather than sending patients to Antrim or further afield.”

She added that a full time mental health worker was a real bonus to the facility. 

“Mental health is just as important as physical health and in some areas there is a real lack of provision, so we are delighted to be able to offer this to local people.”

The speed of the development to match the growth in Toome is impressive.

Bigger towns could certainly learn a thing or two about how to get community services under one roof!

With this new extension, TIDAL and the surgery are keen to continue a collaborative approach to social prescribing , which is the ethos of a Healthy Living centre - as the doctors can refer people to one of the many programmes facilitated by Toome House for health and wellbeing

Una Johnson of TIDAL said: “Likewise if they see someone who is new in the area and may not have any support or family links, the doctors can put them in conact with us.

“Without breaking confidence, the vulnerable in the community can also be signposted to TIDAL support services.

“And if we get someone in on our programmes who we have concerns about, we can advise them to pop around the corner to the surgery or community pharmacy.

“Even something like the Mums and Tots group can mean a busy mother can have a sit down and a cup of tea for half an hour.’’

From its modest beginnings of Toome House, the building has evolved into a vibrant community hub, embodying the original vision of improving morale, providing essential services, and enhancing the local area.

The initial legacy endures, fostering community connections and utilizing local resources to improve lifestyle and health.

As the community in Toome embraces this new chapter, the extension serves as a testament to the dedication of TIDAL, the medical professionals, and the entire community in building a healthier, more connected future for Toomebridge and its residents.

As a dynamic force for positive change, TIDAL recognises the symbiotic relationship between its social enterprise endeavours and the local residents.

The reciprocal nature of this connection fuels a cycle of empowerment, where the community not only receives essential services but actively participates in shaping the collective progress and well-being of the neighbourhood.

TIDAL’s impactful initiatives exemplify how a thriving community is built and sustained through collaboration, shared vision, and the genuine care of its residents.