In the first tangible development since the announcement of the primary care health strategy last November, the Minister for Health last night approved the establishment of 10 implementation projects with guaranteed funding of €8.4 million for 2002 and 2003.
The projects will involve putting in place a much strengthened primary care team in 10 locations around the State. These teams will include general practitioners, nurses/midwives, healthcare assistants, home helps, an occupational therapist, a physiotherapist, a social worker and administrative personnel.
"By bringing this wide range of service-providers together in primary care teams, integrated services can be developed in the community in the most appropriate and accessible way," Mr Martin said.
The primary care strategy promised that up to 30 of these teams would be established by the end of 2003 as the first move towards a major reshaping of how people get access to healthcare in a community setting.
The Irish Times understands that these initial 10 teams will be operational as soon as additional staff have been recruited. The €8.4 million funding does not include significant capital investment, although in some locations, the additional finance will complement capital projects already under way.
However, it is believed that most of the new teams will function around existing general practitioners and health centres.
Each of the 10 health boards has received funding for a single new project. Sources in the Department last night confirmed that none of the projects was being funded on a pilot basis and that despite the bleak economic outlook, further funding was guaranteed.
General practitioners and their representative organisations had been critical of the lack of progress with the strategy almost one year after it had been launched.
The chief executive of the Irish College of General Practitioners, Mr Fionán Ó Cuinneagáin, said: "It is pleasing to see that the primary care budget announcement has been adhered to. While I am unaware of the detail of the individual projects, the geographic spread of the initiative is welcome."
While this initial phase of primary care development will change the way 80,000 people access healthcare, the 10-year strategy envisages 400 to 600 primary care teams will be in place by 2011. According to the strategy document, both primary care teams and extended primary care networks have the capacity to meet up to 95 per cent of the health and personal social service needs of the population.
The areas where the 10 implementation projects will be located are Virginia, Co Cavan; Lifford, Co Donegal; Ballymun, Dublin; the south inner city, Dublin; Dingle peninsula, Co Kerry; Portarlington, Co Laois; west Co Limerick; Erris peninsula, Co Mayo; Cashel, Co Tipperary, and Arklow, Co Wicklow.