FREE GP CARE FOR OVER 70s AND UNDER 6's TO BE AVAILABLE THIS JUNE - KENNY

Posted on April 16, 2015 1:16 PM   |   Permanent Link   

Speaking on the Health (General Practitioner Service) Bill 2015

I warmly welcome the fact that free GP care will be available for children under the age of 6 and for people over the age of 70 from the end of June this year. This is a major step forward that will deliver huge savings for families and pensioners, and help promote health and well-being throughout the population.

People aged over 70 who currently have to pay to see their GP will also now be able to access the free service.
This is the latest phase in the overall plan to provide free GP care to all citizens. The Government is making progress already with plans to roll out of free GP care to children under six at an advanced stage. The reason these two groups of citizens are getting free GP care services extended to them first is because these two groups - the youngest and oldest members of society - are most in need of healthcare services.

It is intended to have the legislation in place this year, and to have the actual service introduced alongside the free GP service for children under the age of six years. Free GP care is a fulfilment of what the Government is committed to in terms of introducing a universal GP service for the whole population on a phased basis and I am very pleased to see it being implemented gradually.

From this summer, up to 300,000 children and senior citizens who currently have to pay to see their GP will no longer have to. This is a big step forward in terms of how people across the country, particularly the youngest in our society, avail of healthcare services. Some 240,000 children will be able to benefit from this new development when it comes into effect.

This will mean real savings for pensioners and families. But it is about much more than that. The new enhanced service covers all children under six including those who have medical cards already. They will benefit from management of asthma in general practice and preventative wellness checks. Adults of all ages will benefit from the new diabetes programme, meaning they will have their condition managed by the GP who knows them, rather than in the hospital clinic.

Under the new arrangements, an additional 240,000 children under 6 will benefit from GP care free at the point of service. All children under 6 will benefit from the new enhanced service under the proposed GP contract. This will involve age-based preventive checks focused on health and wellbeing and the prevention of disease. These assessments will be carried out when a child is aged 2 and again at age 5, in accordance with an agreed protocol. The contract will also include an agreed cycle of care for children diagnosed with asthma, under which GPs will carry out an annual review of each child where the doctor has diagnosed asthma.

The extension of GP care free at the point of service to everyone aged 70 or over and who does not currently qualify for this benefit will take effect at the same time as the under-6 service.

This service will benefit about 36,000 new patients and will be provided under the existing contractual arrangements for this age cohort.

The negotiations with the IMO have also resulted in an agreement on the introduction of a Diabetes Cycle of Care. This will enable patients with a medical card or GP visit card and who have Type 2 Diabetes to avail of two annual visits to their GP practice for a structured review of their condition. This service will begin in Quarter 4 of this year. This initiative will help to integrate care across the continuum of care, will improve clinical outcomes for patients and reduce complications often experienced with this condition.
Making healthcare more affordable has long been an objective of the Labour Party in Government, and underlines Labour's commitment to enhancing primary care. I want to thank Minister for Primary Care, Kathleen Lynch, for her tenacity in pursuing this project despite the many barriers she faced along the way.

It is certainly fitting that a Labour Minister would deliver such a meaningful project, in line with our ethos of supporting families and ensuring that they share in the economic recovery that is now clearly underway.

I very warmly commend this legislation to the House.