Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 April 2004
151 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children if consideration will be given to the upgrading of services available through health centres thereby eliminating some of the overcrowding at accident and emergency services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11071/04]
Amharc ar fhreagra165 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will consider upgrading the various health centres throughout County Kildare with a view to addressing the issue of bed shortages in general hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11085/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 151 and 165 together.
The primary care strategy, Primary Care: A New Direction, aims to shift the emphasis from the current over-reliance on acute hospital services to one where patients will be able to access an integrated multidisciplinary team of general practitioners, nurses, health care assistants, home helps, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and social workers in their local community.
Primary care is the first port of call for the majority of people who use health services and all but the most complex and acute health care needs of individuals, families and groups may be effectively met within the primary care setting. Appropriately structured, it can meet 90% to 95% of all health and personal social service needs.
As the new primary care model is implemented, a wider primary care network of other professionals, including speech and language therapists, community pharmacists, dieticians, dentists, chiropodists and psychologists will also provide services for the population served by each primary care team. The provision of a wide range of services in this way will allow a higher proportion of people's care requirements to be met in the community. The strategy also envisages the development of extended-hours and out-of-hours cover for defined primary care services. The management of this wide range of care within the primary care setting represents the most appropriate, effective and user-friendly approach to the organisation of service delivery.
Primary care, planned and organised on this basis, can lessen the current reliance on specialist services and the hospital system, particularly accident and emergency and out-patient services. Based on available evidence, it has the potential to reduce the requirement for specialist services, reduce hospitalisation rates, reduce lengths of stay for those who are hospitalised, promote more rational prescribing and improve efficiency.
In order to give effect to the new model, I gave approval to the establishment of ten initial primary care implementation projects — one in each health board area — in October 2002. These projects build on the services and resources already in place in the locations involved so as to develop a primary care team in line with the interdisciplinary model described in the strategy. There has been substantial progress to date with the development of primary care teams in the chosen locations and the experience gained in the initial group of implementation projects will provide valuable learning which can inform the wider implementation which is to follow.
The primary care strategy also recognises that the provision of modern, well-equipped, accessible premises will be central to the effective functioning of the primary care team. One of the Government's key objectives is to facilitate and encourage the development, where appropriate, of modern, well-equipped, user-friendly buildings in which the broad range of primary care services, including general practice, can be delivered. The strategy also emphasises the need to gain full benefit from existing buildings and to fully exploit any opportunities for public-private partnerships in implementing the development programme. I am committed to developing policy in such a way as to maximise the opportunities to attract private sector interests into the provision of facilities to support delivery of primary care service in accordance with the new interdisciplinary model.
The identification, prioritisation and provision of health centres, including the upgrading of such facilities, to meet the health and personal social service needs of local communities are matters for the health boards or the Eastern Regional Health Authority, ERHA. In the case of health centres in County Kildare, this responsibility rests with the ERHA. I have asked the regional chief executive of the ERHA to reply direct to the Deputy on this matter.
