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PRESS RELEASE 12th August 2008 - Official Opening of Geanann Care Centre, Dungannon

Linda Brown, Deputy Secretary for the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) joined invited guests on Tuesday 12th August 2008 to mark the official opening of Geanann Care Centre for older adults in Dungannon, Tyrone.

Situated in the heart of Dungannon, Geanann Care Centre is just a short distance from all local amenities with convenient links to public transport. The service has been developed to provide Nursing Care for older adults and Geannan is also a specialist centre designed to meet the needs of people with Dementia related illnesses. The care home has accommodation for 54 service users and all of the bedrooms have private en-suite bathrooms.

Owned by the Southern Cross Healthcare Group, who now has 23 care homes throughout Northern Ireland, Geanann Care Centre has been designed to offer a safe and comfortable environment for older people, which really feels like a "home-from-home". It has been tastefully decorated which creates a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere. Geanann has a variety of lounges located throughout the centre, ideal for socialising or relaxing. The care home is also equipped with specialist equipment such as assisted bathing facilities throughout. There is a private vehicle available for service users’ outings and other external activities. Geanann also offers personal hairdressing and laundry for all service users.

The gardens which encircle the centre include a secured patio area to the rear which is ideal for a spot of outdoor relaxation. Geanann is in a central area of Dungannon which affords many of the rooms a pleasant view of the surrounding town. The location of the care home is ideally situated for the staff and service users to become part of the local community which is something Care Centre Manager, Tony Hart will be working to achieve in the coming months.

Speaking about the new facility he said, "I am delighted to be involved with the development of this exciting new service. It will provide an extremely valuable resource for the older community within Dungannon and surrounding areas."

Contact: Geraldine King, Southern Cross Healthcare, 0141 270 2051

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Geanann Care Centre, 31 Ballygawley Road, Dungannon, Northern Ireland BT70 1EL
Telephone: 028 87750101 Fax: 028 87750465 E-mail: geanann@schealthcare.co.uk

2. Southern Cross is the largest UK provider of care home services for the elderly and a major provider of specialist services for people with physical and/or learning disabilities. Southern Cross Healthcare and Ashbourne Senior Living provide a range of social and personal care services and nursing care services for elderly people with physical frailties and differing forms of dementia. The Company's specialist services operate under the Active Care Partnerships brand and provide long-term care services for people with physical and/or learning disabilities and for younger people with complex forms of challenging behaviour.

Southern Cross is focused on providing high quality care in well invested facilities, seeking to be the home of choice in each local community in which it operates. The Company provides care services for most of the local authorities in the UK which, together with the NHS, makes up the bulk of the Company's revenues. Its care home portfolio is largely purpose-built with a high percentage of single occupancy rooms and rooms with en-suite bathrooms.