Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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374. To ask the Minister for Health if the national asthma programme will be included in the 2015 Health Service Executive Service Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48899/14]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The National Service Plan 2015 commits the Health Service Executive to developing five Integrated Care Programmes (ICPs) that will provide the HSE with the capability of designing and implementing clinically-led, multi-disciplinary integrated models of care, including chronic disease prevention and management. The ICP project teams will work across services, developing and implementing key priority work streams within each programme.

The Service Plan has identified the implementation of actions aimed at improving Traveller and Roma health, including the roll out of the Asthma Education project and enhancing access to primary health services as a key priority for 2015. The Service Plan also commits the HSE’s Primary Care and Clinical Programmes Divisions to work together on the roll out of the chronic disease programmes by the appointment of 12 Nurse Specialists and/or Allied Health Professionals and the implementation of Integration and Self Care Projects in Respiratory Disease and Heart Failure.

The National Clinical Programme for Asthma (NCPA) has developed a National Model of Care for Asthma which details how physicians, nurses and other health care professionals will work with engaged patients to make the clinical decisions most appropriate to their circumstances and to collaborate with specialist colleagues in providing a safe, seamless patient experience within the health system in Ireland. This has been approved by the HSE and a formal launch is planned for the first quarter of 2015.

The Model of Care identifies phases of implementation and the NCPA is committed to working with the Executive’s operational divisions to implement the Model of Care. Education on the use of available guidelines and training are already underway.