I am very happy to have the opportunity to welcome you all to Dublin today to the European Paediatric Surgeons' Association (EUPSA) Annual Congress.
It is a testament to the importance of this event, and its focus on improving surgical care for children, that so many of you are here this morning. In gathering together, you seek to promote high clinical standards of surgical care for our young patients across Europe.
Of course, it is also an opportunity to renew connections and meet new colleagues from other countries with similar roles and interests in paediatric surgery – and to enjoy a short time in this wonderful city of Dublin!
We all share a common goal – whether Government Ministers, paediatric surgeons, hospital managers, nurses or other healthcare workers - we are all interested in the fundamental goal of the health system, of getting the right care to the right patient at the right time.
Simple to say, but not simple to achieve.
Universal Health Insurance
The Government that I lead received a mandate three years ago to radically reform our health service and to put patients at the centre of all health reforms.
The Minister for Health’s reform plan represents a once in a generation opportunity to help build a health system which is fit for purpose in a modern republic.....A health system which truly places the patient at the heart of all that it does.
The government is acutely aware of the challenge that faces us in terms of health reform…It will not be done overnight. It is a complex and major undertaking that requires careful planning and sequencing…it will take time, patience, diligence, and determination.
The model of Universal Health Insurance being proposed is based on an examination of UHI systems in a number of other countries. But ultimately the Minister for Health is proposing a model of healthcare that is best suited to the circumstances of Ireland.
A system in which care is based on a person’s need and not on their income.
We have made clear our commitment to delivering on the implementation of a GP service for the entire population as part of the move to Universal Health Care. Most European health systems are based on universal eligibility for a basket of health services. From that basket, health services are provided to those with medical needs based on clinical decisions. This is the direction that this government is going in and the introduction of Free GP care to children aged up to 5 in 2014 is a major step on this path.
Paediatric Care in Ireland
Paediatric care in Ireland is entering a period of significant change.
We are developing a new model of care, and we are investing significantly in a major children’s hospital which will be a single national centre for tertiary care.
Co-location, and ultimately tri-location with a maternity hospital, on the city centre - St James's - campus will support the provision of excellence in clinical care that our children deserve.
By merging the three existing Dublin children’s hospitals into a single large facility and co-locating with a major adult teaching hospital, the new children’s hospital will operate the system proven in most leading children’s hospitals across the world.
Indeed, a key clinical benefit of adult co-location stems from the fact that in Ireland a significant number of consultants in paediatrics treat both children and adults. This, I understand, is in part due to the lack of volume in child cases and also in part due to the reality that many sub-specialities naturally work across the age divide.
For children with more complex conditions, the new co-located hospital will mean shared care arrangements with their regional or local hospital.
Regional and local hospitals will also provide as much secondary or less complex paediatric care as possible. Surgeons from the new hospital will have a particularly important role in providing outreach to support care for children close to their home.
The hospital will also be “research active” – where today’s child health research is tomorrow’s standard of care. The connection between clinical practice, education and research is what drives innovation and the rapid transfer of new therapies into clinical practice.
Conclusion
The focus for your Congress is new directions.
Your desire for better outcomes, new and shared learning and discovery is critical if we are all to achieve our common goal of putting patient care at the centre of all healthcare changes.
Let me conclude by congratulating all involved in making this vast and important event happen. May I thank Professor Puri for his kind invitation, and wish you all well with the Congress and may you enjoy your stay in our wonderful capital.
Thank you.
ENDS.