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Launch of Primary Care framework cements future of Island's community based care

Tuesday, 14 August 2012

Primary Care FrameworkUnder the plans which were set out in the ‘Strategy for the Future of Health Services’ the Department of Health has launched a strategic framework for Primary Care, which directly links into the Department’s overarching ten year strategy. The framework has the aim of setting out a vision and guiding plans for the enhanced role that community based care will play in the future delivery of health services in the Isle of Man.

Primary Care is the term used to describe services that are generally a first point of contact between patients and the health service, as well as those services that tend to be community based, located near to the people they serve. The Island’s Primary Health Care services include:

  • Isle of Man Ambulance Service
  • Contracted services such as GPs, Opticians, Dentists and Pharmacies
  • Community Nursing, including school nurses, district nurses, health visitors and family planning
  • Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital
  • Podiatry
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Prison Healthcare

Tony Jones, General Manager for Primary Care said:

'In simple terms, the Island’s healthcare is split between care provided at Noble’s Hospital and care provided outside of Noble’s Hospital in the community. It’s this latter element that’s classed as ‘Primary Care’. It’s the services which are generally the public’s first port of call when they need to access the Island’s health service, whether it’s a GP appointment or a visit from a District Nurse. Even those who dial 999 for a medical emergency will have come via Primary Care as it includes the Island’s Ambulance Service. So although it may not be a term people are very familiar with, it represents a grouping of frontline services that touch the lives of all in our community and provides almost 90% of the healthcare provided by the Health Service.'

Community Health CentreAs with all of the Island’s health services, Primary Care will continue to come under increasing pressure from rising demand and expectations. The framework will ensure that there is a renewed and clear sense of direction for the future, with key priorities made explicit.

Minister for Health, David Anderson MHK said:

'The Department’s strategy for the next decade, which has been in place since 2010, focuses on increasing the amount of treatment that takes place in the community setting, that is outside of Noble’s Hospital and by Primary Care. Effectively it’s about looking at our services and asking the question ‘does this service need to be delivered from a hospital?’

'Moving services out of Noble’s Hospital - only where appropriate - and continuing to invest in Primary Care will help to ensure that less people find themselves having to attend Noble’s Hospital for treatment, instead being cared for closer to home, at their local GP surgery for example. So it’s more convenient for the patient whilst at the same time ensuring that Noble’s Hospital can properly deploy its resources to focus on critical and acute care for patients - which is first and foremost what hospitals are designed to do - from hip replacements, to those who’ve suffered a stroke, to treating those involved in road traffic collisions.'

The new framework lays out plans for the development of Primary Care services over the next five years. Whilst it sits beneath the Department of Health’s overarching strategy ‘The Future for Health Services’; the framework is a hugely significant element in driving forward the delivery of the ten year strategy; helping the Department to realise its ambitions and vision of improving the Island’s health services and in turn, the health and wellbeing of the population.

Mr Dudley Butt MLC, Member for Health Services said:

'This framework is pivotal to the progression and advancement of Primary Care on the Island. This type of commitment to the improvement of services from the Department goes to show that we are continuously looking into how we can change and adapt our services for the better.'

Dave Kissack, Primary Care Operations Manager said:

'From the outset, we aimed to develop a comprehensive framework which would provide the Isle of Man with a clear vision of what Primary Health is and how it will develop over the next five years. The framework will influence and shape the future of Primary care on the Island as we go on to develop detailed implementation plans for the years ahead.'

A full copy of the Primary Health Care Framework is available online at www.gov.im/health.

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