Keywords
Citation
(2002), "New model of primary care for Ireland", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 15 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2002.06215bab.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2002, MCB UP Limited
New model of primary care for Ireland
New model of primary care for IrelandKeywords: Primary care, Health strategy, GPs
In November, the Minister for Health and Children, Micheál Martin presented details of Primary Care – A New Direction. These proposals are a key component of the new health strategy reported above. He said:
Round-the-clock services that are easy to reach will be provided by a new approach to primary care. The general public told us that they want themselves, their family members and their communities put at the centre of care delivery.
The new approach shifts the emphasis from over-reliance on acute services such as hospitals to one-stop-shops, where patients will be able to access GPs, nurses, physiotherapists, chiropodists, social workers and home helps. The new system, which will be implemented in selected areas during 2002, will allow members of the general public to enrol with a team and with a GP within that team. The teams will offer 24-hour cover and, because of the number of different disciplines involved, will greatly reduce the demand for specialist services. Diagnostic services, which are often sourced from hospitals at the moment, will be much more easily available.
A downloadable copy of the report is available at http://www.doh.ie/pdfdocs/primcare.pdf