Fine Gael Press Office
Senator Kieran O’Donnell
26/03/2019
New funding will support community healthcare in Limerick – Senator Kieran O’Donnell
The publication of the €20 million Sláintecare Integration Fund will support the delivery of community healthcare in Limerick a Fine Gael Senator has said.
The Fund will be open to applications from both the public and voluntary sectors and will focus on testing new models of care with a focus on community care.
Successful applications will facilitate a shift in care to the community or provide measures to help people avoid hospital.
Senator Kieran O’Donnell said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for health and social care sectors here in Limerick to pitch their ideas to Slaintecare.
“The Integration Fund is looking for initiatives that help support us in meeting our ultimate goal of reducing waiting lists and reducing waiting times.
“I encourage local interested parties to check out the guide to the application process on the Department of Health website.
“The entirety of the €20m Integration Fund has to be spent in 2019 so this is a great opportunity for local health services to demonstrate leadership and help realise the aims of Sláintecare implementation.”
An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: “Sláintecare is our ten year cross party plan to significantly improve and modernise the health service.
“However, we certainly don’t think we have a monopoly on good ideas, and we now want to hear directly from health and social care providers on how we can better provide care in the community.
“Through this €20m Integration Fund, we can put good ideas into action and share best practice to help care for people closer to home and keep them out of hospital.”
Minister for Health, Simon Harris said: “Sláintecare will reform Ireland’s health and social care service to create a modern, responsive service that offers the right care, in the right place, at the right time. Central to this is our goal to shift the majority of care from the acute to the community setting in order to bring care closer to home for service users.
“Today, we are asking those within the health and social care sector at large to pitch their ideas to help deliver this Sláintecare goal. Finding, supporting and scaling innovative new ways of providing care is fundamental to delivering Sláintecare,” the Fine Gael Minister said.
Applications are to be submitted via email to PitchToSláintecare@health.gov.ie.
ENDS
Sláintecare Integration Fund Application Guide
https://health.gov.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Sl%C3%A1inteCare-Integration-Fund-Application-Guide-FINAL.pdf