Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Under the GMS scheme, the HSE contracts GPs to provide medical services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders. The General Practitioner (GP) Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Programme commenced in 2020 and has been rolled out on a phased basis to adult GMS (Medical Card and GP Visit Card) patients over a 4-year period. The specified chronic conditions included in the Programme are Type 2 Diabetes; Asthma; Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Cardiovascular Disease (including Heart Failure, Ischaemic Heart Disease, Cerebrovascular Disease (Stroke/Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), Atrial Fibrillation).

The CDM programme represents a new approach in Ireland to working with patients to manage their healthcare.  It has brought the care for chronic disease further into the community and closer to the patient, and over time is expected to reduce hospital attendance by patients with one or more of the specified conditions.

Further expansion of the programme to include additional conditions would require rigorous clinical assessment and engagement with stakeholders, including the GPs delivering the service.  Nonetheless, this could be considered in the future in the context of resource availability.