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 is the chair of their Quality Safety and Standards Committee. 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.
Dr Tadeusz Lisiakiewicz
Dr Tadeusz Lisiakiewicz joined our team in March 2013. Originally from Poland, he is a very experienced GP having worked in Poland for many years as a family doctor. He has lived in Ireland since 2005 and came to join us in Banagher from the West of Ireland where he had been working. He also spent two years working in Africa in the past. We are delighted that he has settled so well into life in Banagher. In his spare time he likes to swim and scuba dive.
Practice Nurse Reneagh Bennett
A native of Tullamore, Reneagh joined the team in 2001 when she moved back to Ireland from the UK, where she did her nurse training. She is very experienced in diabetes care having completed many training courses on the subject. She also is a trained midwife and performs all our cervical smears and assists with insertion and removal of Implanons and Mirenas. She can help you with your travel vaccinations and she is also the person in the practice who carries out all the baby vaccinations. She likes to keep up with current medical trends and enjoys going on training days where she gets to meet other practice nurses. Reneagh is an active member of the Offaly Practice Nurse Association and is currently involved in arranging the 2017 National Practice Nurse Conference to be held in Tullamore in the Autumn.
Our Administration Staff
Practice Manager Diane Dagg
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 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 the practice finances and patient accounts.
