Dr Velma Harkins
Dr Harkins completed her medical degree in Galway and then trained as a GP, eventually setting up in practice in Banagher in 1990. She has a keen interest in GP education and became a GP trainer in 1994, supervising future GPs in their final year in the practice. She was one of the instigators of the Midland Diabetes Structured Care Programme providing structured care to patients with type 2 diabetes in general practice in the midlands. This programme has been a huge success and of benefit to many thousands of patients and Dr Harkins continues to be the GP Leader of the programme. She was appointed as National GP Clinical Lead for Diabetes in 2010 and was author of the national guidelines for diabetes care used in general practice "A Practical Guide to Integrated Type 2 Diabetes Care". She was elected to the Board of the Irish College of General Practitioners in 2016 and served as the chair of their Quality Safety and Standards Committee until 2022. In 2020 she received a lifetime achievement award for her Contribution to Improving Diabetes Care at the National Diabetes Integrated Care Conference.
Dr Shane Carroll
Having completed his medical degree in Dublin, Dr Carroll returned to his roots in the midlands to train as a general practitioner. He completed his third year GP registrar year in the practice before doing some travelling abroad. He then returned to us as an assistant GP back in 2003 and is now a partner in the practice. He has a keen interest in hurling and is the doctor for the Offaly Senior Hurling Team. Dr Carroll is also trained in Long Acting Reversible Contraception and in Joint Injections. In 2022 he was appointed as a GP trainer by the Midlands GP Training Scheme and he is now the GP trainer for the Practice.
DR ANINE VERMAAK
Dr Anine is a native of South Africa and previously ran her own GP Practice there. She brings a wealth of medical experience with her and we are delighted to have her on our Clinical Team. She came to us in September 2022 and has settled well into Irish general practice, although she finds the Irish timekeeping challenging!
Dr michael steenkamp
Dr Michael joined the team in Banagher in May 2021, having relocated from South Africa. He did his primary medical degree in University of Stellenbosch before completing a 2 year internship in Kimberley Hospital and his Community Service Year in Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital, also in Kimberley. He is married to Christine and they enjoy board games and exploring Ireland in their spare time.
GP registrar - DR ABIR ABUAZZA
Dr Abir is back with us for a short stint, having completed her Registrar year with us in 2021/2022. She spent last year working in Edenderry and will soon be heading to the West to begin her career as a GP.
Practice Nurse - amy spain
Amy grew up in Birr, so she hasn’t moved far to her position of Practice Nurse in Banagher. She joined the team in January 2022 and works full-time with us. After qualifying in general nursing in Athlone Institute of Technology in 2016, Amy worked in Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore for 18 months before taking up a position with the Irish Blood Transfusion Service Mobile Unit, a position that took her all over the country. In 2020 she worked as a IV community Nurse/Nurse advisor, a position that also involved a lot of travel, so she is happy to now be in one place and is enjoying her new position as Practice Nurse.
Practice Nurse - mona doheny
A native of Tipperary, Mona completed her nurse training in Trinity College Dublin in 2013. She has extensive experience in A & E, having worked in Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise, after qualifying, for over three years, before deciding on a career in Practice Nursing. She has been a practice nurse since 2017 and enjoys the varied nursing that it provides. We are delighted to welcome her onto the team at Banagher Family Practice, where she joins Amy on the nursing team and will work 3 days a week.
Phlebotomist/practice assistant - sara woolfson
Sara is a Dub and moved to Offaly in 2018. She worked first in reception before undergoing a phlebotomy course and other further training to allow her take on a clinical role. She now also looks after our Chronic Disease Management Programme and will soon be undergoing ECG training as well. Practice Assistant is a new role in general practice and takes some of the more technical tasks, such as putting on 24 hour blood pressure monitors, from the doctors and nurses, allowing them more time to spend on clinical responsibilities.
Our Administration Staff
Practice Manager Diane FITZGERALD
Diane is a native of Limerick and she completed her nurse training in Dublin. She joined the practice in 1999 and assisted with the computerisation of the records and did some part time nursing and admin in the practice before becoming practice manager in 2004. She completed the ICGP Diploma in Practice Management in 2007. Diane is a jack-of-all-trades and can be seen fixing computers one minute, cutting bushes the next and giving flu vaccinations after! She sometimes still fills in if the practice is very busy and will take bloods, do dressings and assist doctors when needed. She also deals with HR, practice finances and patient accounts.
