Dr James Reilly, Minister for Health, has welcomed the announcement today (17th July 2012) that primary care facilities will be developed at twenty locations across the country using the public private partnership mechanism. “Today’s announcement demonstrates the Government’s commitment to the delivery of health care in the primary care setting” the Minister said. “The primary care infrastructure model offers a good fit for public private partnership financing. The Programme for Government states that expenditure on health infrastructure will be a priority. This new stimulus package will underpin progress to date and provide a much needed jobs boost. This PPP initiative will complement and build on the processes HSE has already in place in its capital programme.”
The Minister added that “International research shows that shared premises are a key enabler for successful team working in the primary care setting. Shared premises encourage and facilitate interaction across all health care professionals which is why the Government is committed to further developing the network of new Primary Care Centres.”
The Programme for Government sets out the commitment to ensuring a better and more efficient health system, a single-tier health service that will deliver equal access to health care based on need not income. The key objective of the Primary Care Strategy is to develop services in the community which will give people direct access to integrated multi-disciplinary teams of general practitioners, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and other health care disciplines. In a developed primary care system, up to 95 per cent of people’s day-to-day health and social care needs can be met in the primary care setting. These enable multi-disciplinary services to be delivered on a single site, provide a single point of access for users, and encourage closer coordination between health providers.
Primary care infrastructure development, through a combination of public and private investment, will facilitate the delivery of multi-disciplinary primary health care and represents a tangible re-focussing of the health service to deliver care in the most appropriate and lowest cost setting. The Exchequer will continue to fund the delivery of Primary Care Centres also.
Note for Editors
List of 35 locations of which 20 will be commissioned subject to agreement between the local GPs and the HSE on active local GP involvement in the centres. The twenty will be offered to the market in bundles of ten.
A further list of Primary Care developments will be announced in Quarter 4, 2012.
Balbriggan
Ballaghadereen
Ballymote, Co Sligo
Boyle, Co Roscommon
Carrickmacross
Carrick-on-Suir
Claremorris
Clonmel
Coolock
Cork City (Togher)
Crumlin/Drimnagh
Darndale
Donegal Town
Drogheda North
Dublin Inner City (Summerhill)
Dungarvan
Dungloe, Co Donegal
Ennis
Gort
Kells
Kilcock
Kilkenny
Knocklyon/Rathfarnham
Laytown/Bettystown
Limerick City
Rathdrum, Co Wicklow
Rowlagh/North Clondalkin
Swords
Thurles
Tralee
Tuam
Tullow/Rathvilly (East Carlow)
Waterford City
Westport
Wexford Town
Recruitment of New Staff for Primary Care
Dr. James Reilly TD, Minister for Health today (17th July 2012) announced the planned recruitment of over 270 new staff to work in Primary Care.
Minister Reilly stated that “key frontline staff will be recruited, funded by a special allocation of €20m which was set aside as part of the HSE’s 2012 National Service Plan to fill posts in Primary Care”.
The funding will provide for the employment of 17 Clinical Nurse Specialists to support the Integrated Care Diabetes Programme and some 255 other Primary Care Team posts, including Public Health Nurses, Registered General Nurses, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Speech and Language Therapists.
The HSE has analysed the current provision of posts in proportion to total population and population health needs with reference to the Haase-Pratschke Deprivation Index to identify which areas are least well served. The Primary Care posts will be allocated to the areas most in need, taking into account the Deprivation index and other key criteria such as the size and composition of relevant waiting lists and the resources available in other health facilities within the individual areas.”
Minister Reilly said “at a time of scarce national resources, it is essential that such posts should be targeted at areas of greatest need”. The Minister added “this announcement underlines the Government's commitment to improving health services by not only providing the funding available but also by ensuring that effective strategies are used to guarantee that the posts are allocated according to a broad assessment of needs. As part of the process of strengthening primary care, a number of key outcomes measurements will also be introduced.”
Central to the modernisation of the Irish health service is the development of a greater range and volume of community based services and the growth of the multi-disciplinary team model to strengthen and enhance Primary Care services. The recruitment of additional staff to Primary Care Teams will be instrumental in creating an environment which enables structured approaches to chronic disease management, enhanced multi-disciplinary team working, and the integration of services between primary and secondary care.
This shift in emphasis to community based services is good for patients, clients, health professionals, acute hospitals and it delivers the best value.