Vol. 526 No. 2
88 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason health boards are precluded from investing money in screening for cardio-vascular disease in general practitioners surgeries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26162/00]
89 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason for the failure of his Department to provide funding to general practitioners for screening in the multi-million pound national cardio-vascular programme. [26163/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 88 and 89 together.
In order to ensure the best possible implementation of the cardiovascular strategy report, a task force and advisory forum were established. In terms of progressing the strategy, those bodies have regard to the need to progress implementation in a way that recognises existing infrastructural realities in general practice and strategically develop the role that it can play to the greatest degree possible over the timescale of the strategy. Health boards are also directly involved in this process of directing the significant funding available to developing the role of general practice in line with the cardiovascular strategy.
In that context, general practice is already benefiting to a major extent from funding under the cardiovascular strategy programme which has allowed a number of significant initiatives to take place.
For example, the cardiovascular report proposes that a systematic approach be taken in primary care to the risk assessment, secondary prevention and ongoing management of those identified as being high risk and pilot projects of secondary prevention in two health board areas are currently under way. Other examples of relevant initiatives include the provision of funds for equipment, sessional and health promotion programmes in general practice settings, recruitment of cardiovascular specialist personnel and the provision of specific training on intervention techniques.
Accordingly, in the structured sense of developing general practice that the cardiovascular strategy envisages, it has to be seen that screening is only one of a large number of proposals in the report for general practice, all of which must be addressed in a strategic way consistent with the strategy's overall goals.
During 2001, and in the years following, it is proposed to further develop and extend the cardiovascular capacity of general practice in line with the Building Better Hearts programme. In particular a national pilot project for secondary prevention will commence in 2001.
