David Cullinane
Question:1731. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the additional measures he plans to implement in 2022 to expand public primary care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1432/22]
View answerWednesday, 19 January 2022
Questions (1731)
Written answers
The development of primary care services – alongside social and community care more broadly – is central to this Government's determination to deliver a high-quality, integrated and cost-effective health care system.
In Budget 2022, the Minister secured annual investment of €195m to enable the continued expansion of primary care services through the Enhanced Community Care programme. Amongst other initiatives, the funding will allow for the rollout of 96 Community Healthcare Networks (CHNs) to be completed and will enable the continued development of 30 Community Specialist Teams for Older Persons, and 30 Community Specialist Teams for the Management of Chronic Diseases.
The ECC programme represents a significant expansion in primary care capacity, and will see some 3,500 additional staff recruited overall, with approximately 2,300 to be recruited in 2022. This recruitment includes a particular focus on frontline nursing and community therapist staff.
We will also continue to develop new, state of the art Primary Care Centres (PCCs) to support the provision of the very highest standards of primary care. There are now 147 PCCs open nationwide, and 26 more are scheduled to become operational over the course of 2022.
In addition, several measures pertaining to General Practice will be implemented or expanded upon in 2022. The Minister ensured that Budget 2022 provided for the provision of GP care without charges to all children aged 6 and 7. This is the first stage of the phased expansion of GP care without charges to all children aged 12 years and under.
The Chronic Disease Management programme, which commenced in 2020 and was modified to facilitate remote reviews during the COVID-19 pandemic, is also being extended in 2022 to all adult GMS patients, while work is ongoing to explore the potential to further enhance the GP Access to Diagnostics programme introduced in 2021.
These investments and reforms are a demonstration of the commitment to shift the model of healthcare towards a more comprehensive and accessible primary care service in order to deliver better care closer to people’s home in communities across the country.