Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 June 2005
91 Mr. Eamon Ryan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the reason so little progress has been made in implementing the Government’s primary health care strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20945/05]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Strategy, Primary Care: A New Direction, provides a template for the development of primary care over a period of ten to 15 years. Considerable work has been undertaken by my Department and the former health boards to advance implementation.
There are three broad approaches required to enable the primary care strategy to be implemented. These are revenue and capital investment by the State in order to deliver additional services in primary care; the substantial reorganisation of the resources already within the health services; and a structured role for the private sector in the development of facilities and possibly also the delivery of services.
An initial ten primary care teams have been developed, with funding to enable existing staff resources within the public system to be augmented with additional health professionals. These teams are intended to demonstrate the primary care model in action and also to enable practical experience to be gained of the process involved in developing a primary care team and providing an expanded range of services.
Work has already been undertaken by the former health boards to map out the proposed numbers, locations and configurations of future primary care teams and networks and the resource requirements associated with these. The Health Service Executive must complete this task to provide a firm basis for the future organisation of resources within primary care, and incorporating the significant numbers of staff and contractors already involved in the delivery of primary care services.
Work is almost complete on a strategy and action plan on information and communications technology, ICT, for primary care. This will provide a basis for the development of ICT systems which support interdisciplinary primary care and which also facilitate the delivery of care in an integrated way across all sectors within the health service.
All of the investment needed to enable the implementation of the strategy need not involve the public sector. Many primary care services are already delivered by private and non-State contractors. I am committed to developing policy which will stimulate private sector investment in developing facilities and services. My Department is considering how this agenda can be advanced so as to harness the undoubted potential within the non-State sector and so enable and support the delivery of integrated primary care services in line with national policy.
