Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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813. To ask the Minister for Health the integrated care pathways that have been developed across the acute hospitals and community interface. [54926/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Committee on the Future of Health's Sláintecare report strongly supports a real shift in our model of care. This will represent a move away from a hospital centric approach to one which is focussed on prevention and early intervention and which will provide the majority of care in the community. This greater integration between primary and acute care will provide person-centred, co-ordinated care, with improved care and outcomes for patients.

There is already much activity underway across the health service to develop better integration across acute hospitals and community care services. This has been supported by the HSE's Clinical Care Programmes and a wide range of initiatives that have developed at a local level. The HSE's Clinical Strategy and Programmes Division is leading a large-scale programme of work to develop a system of integrated care within our health and social care services. Currently work is underway under four Integrated Care Programmes (ICP for Older Persons, ICP for the Prevention and Management of Chronic Disease, ICP Patient Flow, ICP for Children) and the national, regional and local governance structures are now in place to guide and support the implementation of the required changes. Several pilot schemes have been established and in 2018 new integrated care models and pathways will be developed.

Building on the work underway, the delivery of integrated care, with collaboration between care professionals across primary, social care and hospital settings will have positive benefits for patients, providing a better care pathway and facilitating more care outside the hospital.