John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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871. To ask the Minister for Health if he will outline the main improvements in the provision of primary care services since 27 June 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36238/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The development of primary care services – alongside social and community care more broadly – is central to this Government's determination to deliver a high-quality, integrated and cost-effective health care system.

In Budget 2022, the Minister secured annual investment of €195m to enable the continued expansion of primary care services through the Enhanced Community Care (ECC) programme. This level of investment in primary care reform is unprecedented and is intended to address historical capacity deficits in the sector. It forms part of wider efforts to deliver on Sláintecare and the promise of care being delivered in the right place at the right time and as close to home as possible. The ECC programme includes a number of different elements that will bolster primary care services across the country. Amongst other initiatives, the funding will allow for the rollout of 96 Community Healthcare Networks (CHNs) to be completed and enables the continued development of 30 Community Specialist Teams for Older Persons, and 30 Community Specialist Teams for the Management of Chronic Diseases.

79 of the planned 96 CHNs are now in place. It is expected that all 96 networks will be operational by the end of this year.19 Community Specialist Teams for Older Persons are now established, with 8 Specialist Teams for Chronic Disease Management already implemented. Full nationwide coverage by the Community Intervention Teams has been achieved with 21 now operational across the country.

The ECC programme represents a significant expansion in primary care capacity, and will see some 3,500 additional staff recruited overall, with a particular focus on nursing and health and social care professionals. Some 2,000 staff have been recruited, and approximately 1500 staff will be onboarded by year end.

We will also continue to develop new, state of the art Primary Care Centres (PCCs) to support the provision of the very highest standards of primary care. There are now 152 PCCs open nationwide, and 19 more are scheduled to become operational over the course of 2022.

In addition, several measures pertaining to General Practice will be implemented or expanded upon in 2022. The Minister ensured that Budget 2022 provided for the provision of GP care without charges to all children aged 6 and 7. This is the first stage of the phased expansion of GP care without charges to all children aged 12 years and under.

The Chronic Disease Management programme, which commenced in 2020 and was modified to facilitate remote reviews during the COVID-19 pandemic, is also being extended in 2022 to all adult GMS patients, while work is ongoing to explore the potential to further enhance the GP Access to Diagnostics programme introduced in 2021.

These investments and reforms are a demonstration of the commitment to shift the model of healthcare towards a more comprehensive and accessible primary care service in order to deliver better care closer to people’s home in communities across the country.