Written answers

Tuesday, 6 November 2018

Department of Health

Health Services Funding

Photo of Michael HartyMichael Harty (Clare, Independent)
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499. To ask the Minister for Health further to the announcement in budget 2019 that €206 million has been allocated to the implementation of Sláintecare, the areas to which the funding has been allocated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44632/18]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am delighted that I have secured over €200m in budget 2019 which will directly support a range of initiatives proposed in the Sláintecare Report and committed to in the Sláintecare Implementation Strategy including:

- Ringfenced funding for the Sláintecare Programme Office;

- €20m for the establishment of a new ring-fenced Sláintecare Integration Fund to drive improvements in the way we deliver care across the system;

- Multi-annual funding for a new GP contract which is critical to the Sláintecare vision of delivering more care in the community;

- Expansion of free GP care, by increasing the weekly income threshold for GP Visit card by €25 which could benefit up to 100,000 people. This supports the Sláintecare recommendation to move towards universal GP care over 5 years;

- Additional funding for 100 new therapy posts to address assessment of need waiting lists for children with disabilities and funding to ensure that the needs of all those leaving school in 2019 will be addressed;

- €55m in new development funding aimed at further enhancing community mental health teams for adults and children;

- Reducing user charges and out of pocket payments by further reductions in prescription charges - 50 cent reduction in prescription charges from €2.00 to €1.50 for all medical card holders over the age of 70. This is in line with a Sláintecare recommendation to reduce prescription charges;

- A €10 reduction in the monthly Drugs Payment Scheme threshold from €134 to €124 which is also in line with a key Sláintecare recommendation;

- Increased investment of €20m in the National Treatment Purchase Fund. €75m will be available to the NDPF IN 2019 which will be used to treat 70,000 patients on waiting lists in 2019; and

- Additional funding for care redesign and the National Children's Hospital.

I am not in a position at this stage to provide full details of the funding being made available for all areas above. As I have pointed out previously, negotiations are ongoing in relation to the new GP contract and to provide an amount for this, which providing full costing for all the other actions would do, could weaken the Departments negotiation position.

Funding has also been provided to expand existing health services, in line with Sláintecare recommendations and full details of this will be contained in the National Service Plan to be published in December.

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