Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Health the total amounts invested in his Department's primary care strategy on an annual basis since 2010; if he will outline in a tabular form the number of medical posts and the number of administration posts created under this strategy on a regional basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5146/13]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The implementation of the Primary Care Strategy is a priority for this Government. The objective 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 others.

At the end of December 2010, there were 350 Primary Care Teams operating, i.e. holding clinical team meetings, involving GPs and HSE staff. Since then a further 76 PCTs have been established, mainly through the reconfiguration of existing HSE staff to work as part of these multidisciplinary teams, giving a total of 426 PCTs in operation at the end of December 2012. The 426 Teams provide services for almost 4 million of the population with 2,636 HSE staff members and over 1,692 GPs participating. The following table provides a breakdown by HSE Area.

The HSE's 2013 National Service Plan commits to having 484 operational Teams in place by the end of this year.

Unfortunately, due to the difficult financial situation, it was not possible to provide dedicated funding for primary care in 2011 or 2012. However, I am pleased to say that €20 million is set aside for primary care in the HSE’s 2012 National Service Plan. The HSE has completed a detailed analysis of the numbers and distribution of public health nurses, registered general nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech and language therapists. The analysis revealed considerable variation across the 17 Integrated Service Areas in ratios of health care professionals to population, and to population numbers in areas of high deprivation.

Based on this analysis, it is intended that an additional 70 Public Health Nurses; 37 Registered General Nurses; 51 Occupational Therapists; 46 Physiotherapists; and 47 Speech & Language Therapists will be recruited as soon as possible in 2013.

On 17th July 2012, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform announced the Government’s €2¼ billion Infrastructure Stimulus Package, which included up to €115 million being made available for primary care centres (PCCs) to be delivered by public private partnership (PPP). Thirty five locations for PCCs have been identified, of which 20 will be commissioned subject to (a) agreement between the local GPs and the HSE on active local GP involvement and (b) site suitability and availability. The Capital Plan 2012-2016 contains provision for the delivery of primary care infrastructure at an additional 8 locations while the leasing initiative is expected to deliver up to an additional 15 facilities which should be substantially completed by end 2013/early 2014.