Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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250. To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which the Sláintecare programme is being enacted; the progress to date in this regard; the targets achievable in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13845/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In 2017 the Oireachtas Committee on the Future of Healthcare set out, in the Sláintecare Oireachtas Report, their vision to deliver safe, quality health and social care services that meets the needs of our growing population, and attracts and retains the very best healthcare clinicians, managers, and staff. The vision of Sláintecare is to achieve a universal single-tier health and social care system, where everyone has equitable access to services based on need, and not ability to pay. Over time, citizens will have entitlement to a comprehensive range of primary, acute and social care services. The aim is to deliver a universal health service that offers the right care, in the right place, at the right time, at low or no cost.

Following the publication of the Oireachtas Sláintecare Report in 2017, the Sláintecare Implementation Strategy was agreed by Government in August 2018, setting out an initial set of key actions for a three-year period. Implementation of the Sláintecare vision has continued in line with the 2018 Sláintecare Implementation Strategy with regular updates on progress being reported to the Cabinet Committee on Health and the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health.

Key progress on the Sláintecare reforms, to end 2020, is summarised below. At a glance:

- A strong message of the importance of prevention has been made through significant investment in the work of Healthy Ireland and the roll out of the “Keep Well” resilience campaign during COVID-19

- A conscious move to implementing more integrated care has been taken, resourcing more networks of care, through the establishment of community healthcare networks, as well as older persons and chronic disease management (CDM) hubs and a GP Structured CDM Programme, with funding now in place for an additional 7000 community staff

- Additional capacity has been made available to the health and social care system through investment in capital and eHealth infrastructure

- The Sláintecare Integration Innovation projects demonstrated new ways of delivering care that are now being mainstreamed, and

- Government made key foundational governance decisions to underpin the direction of travel for Sláintecare reform

The Programme for Government (2020), reaffirmed the commitment to the implementation of Sláintecare and pledged to accelerate the process, underpinned by the allocation in Budget 2021 of more than €1.235billion to advance the implementation of Sláintecare.

Two years into the reform process, key progress set out against the Oireachtas Report Principles, has been:

Engagement:Significant political and public engagement; the establishment of joint GP Forum; the establishment of the Staff Engagement Forum and Integration Fund Learning Network; Engagement with Community Voluntary Network and Dialogue Forum on Voluntary Bodies; and Cross governmental partnerships through Healthy Ireland.

Patient is Paramount: we have provided targeted funding to support Integration/Innovation Projects focussed on patient empowerment; funded Community Healthcare Networks to provide integrated services for people nearer to home; established Integrated Care Programmes for Older People and People with Chronic Diseases; provided ICT tablets to nursing homes and hospitals with restricted visiting regimes to support patients to stay connected to their families and friends; and established the Patient Safety Office

Timely Access:

- Sláintecare has been funded to the levels envisaged in the Health Capacity Review (2018), including for health and wellbeing, and enhanced community care

- The Elective hospitals Strategic Assessment Report (SAR) has been approved in line with the Public Spending Code

- We have established the Access to Care Fund to help reduce waiting lists

- Electronic Prescriptions are now universally available between from GPs and pharmacies

- Sláintecare has funded a 4^thelective surgery theatre at Tallaght hospital

- We have fully funded the reduction of disability assessment of needs waiting lists.

Care provided free at the point of delivery:

- we have increased entitlement to GP care and reduction in prescription charges

- we have agreed the expansion of the GP contract to support chronic disease management

- we have made substantial investment in increased homecare packages and a Healthy Age-Friendly Homes scheme to help people stay well in their own homes for as long as possible

Workforce: we have seen a significant and step change funding to support implementation of Sláintecare in the 2021 Budget with investment in an additional 7000+ community acute staff; investment in additional 3600 hospital staff; and investment in additional 600 consultant posts

Public Money in Public Interest: Government has agreed to the introduction of a public only Sláintecare Consultant contract moving towards removing private care from public hospitals

Accountability: Significant Foundational Decisions made by Government include the establishment of the HSE Board, and the approval of the geographies for six new regional health areas, to enable more accountable, devolved care

Prevention and Public Health: We have made substantial investment in Healthy Ireland and in public health promotion, including

- the Obesity Policy and Action Plan, the National Physical Activity Plan and the Sexual Health Strategy, and Alcohol and Smoking prevention

- the Sláintecare Communications and Citizen Engagement Campaign

- the In This Together Campaignsupporting the Government’s Resilience and Recovery Plan, and a new public engagement “Keep Well” campaign

An updated Sláintecare implementation Strategy 2021-2023 and 2021 Action Plan is expected to focus on 2 reform programmes.

1. Improving Safe, Timely Access to Care & Promoting Health & Wellbeingwill centre on integration, safety, prevention, shift of care to the right location, productivity, extra capacity and elimination of waiting lists, while

2. Addressing Health Inequalitieswill focus on moving towards Universal Healthcare.

I anticipate that the updated Strategy will be published shortly.