Health leaders stress investing in primary care services is vital

A FUTURE strategy could provide high-quality healthcare while also saving the government money, a conference of the Mid-West region’s top health leaders has heard.

Clinical experts at the conference entitled The Power of Collaboration: Building an Academic Health Science System in the Mid-West predicted an “exciting population and patient-centred future.”

The predictions come in light of the delivery of the Sláintecare strategy ahead of the implementation of the HSE’s new Health Regions in spring 2024.

One area of focus at the conference was on an integrated population-based health system, which will align with Sláintecare, which aims to “provide high-quality, accessible, and safe care that meets the needs of the population”.

The conference heard that the Mid-West’s population has grown by 7% since 2017 with the over-65 age cohort growing by 22% and the over-85 age cohort by 25%.

To add to this, it is estimated that 8% of people living in the Mid-West are classified as being deprived, very deprived, or extremely deprived with almost 12% of the region’s population being classified as disadvantaged or very disadvantaged.

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Public Health Mid-West estimates that investing in primary care services will result in substantial cost savings for acute hospital settings like University Hospital Limerick.

They estimate that for every €1 invested in social inclusion primary care services, there is an estimated return of over €1.70, reflecting costs averted in the acute hospital setting.

Speaking on the matter, Dr Anne Dee, consultant in public health medicine with Public Health HSE Mid-West, said that by investing in the essential health services in the community, “not only do you provide pathways for a healthier population, you also significantly reduce burdens on our hospital systems.”

“Additionally, this paves the way for a more equitable health service where the most vulnerable and underserved are not left behind,” she added.

According to professor Kerstin Mey, president of the University of Limerick, the power of collaboration has shaped not only their academic pursuits but the very foundations of healthcare in the Mid-West region.

“In the heart of this collaborative effort stands the longstanding and cohesive relationship between the University of Limerick and our esteemed partners at the UL Hospitals Group,” she said.

“Over the many years of collaboration, this partnership has evolved as academia and healthcare converge to create a health science academic system that is robust and transformative,” Ms Mey added.

The Health Sciences Academy is a partnership between University of Limerick, UL Hospitals Group and HSE Mid-West Community Healthcare. The partners share the primary aim of improving health and wellbeing for people in the Mid-West.