HEALTH MATTERS 103 consumer affairs
PCTs urged to work in partnership WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Primary Care Teams (PCTs) are increasingly engaging with their local communities to exploit opportunities for health gain among the local population. Rachel McEvoy, Research Officer with Consumer Affairs, explains.
P
ublic policy recognises that communities should be centrally involved in shaping health services, including primary care services. More recently, the National Strategy for Service User Involvement in the Irish Health Service has reflected these commitments and prioritised the participation of “socially excluded groups and those whose voices are seldom heard”. In 2008, in partnership with the former Combat Poverty Agency, the HSE Office of Consumer Affairs, supported the development of a Joint Community Participation in a Primary Care Initiative. The initiative was designed to support disadvantaged communities and local health service interests to work together and plan for the participation of excluded communities and groups in local PCTs and networks and in the implementation of the Primary Care Strategy: A New Direction. The initiative, which was evaluated, has led to some very promising outcomes that have relevance to the roll-out of community participation in primary care, including a better understanding and huge learning for community and PCT representatives of the role and impact of community participation in primary care, and of the different models of community participation that can be effectively implemented. The initiative has also resulted in a wealth of innovative and creative approaches and outcomes to promote processes of community participation, for example, in carrying out information sharing, community needs assessments and in creating representative community structures. This has resulted in an improved capacity to identify and address the health needs of the most marginalised communities. For many community projects involved in the initiative with the HSE, it has been a new
experience and this has resulted in significant learning and awareness in the community of how local needs can be raised in the development and ongoing work of PCTs. Many projects have highlighted the important role of engagement with the HSE. A participant said: “The project has opened doors to the community and the PCT has been very supportive of the project, and there have been good connections made.” Another expressed how “the community representative can be an important go- between, acting as a bridge between the community and health practitioners.” Health professionals have experienced significant learning through this initiative, and as one stated “the learning curve has been huge and now we feel ready for community participation.” Some of this has enabled PCT representatives to understand how community participation can add value to their work and that it can provide a basis for joint work. One HSE community worker
stated: “It’s all about give and take, and we are now in a position to share different positions and genuinely engage with the community.” In the case of another PCT representative “the PCT now sees partnership with the community as being essential.” A total of 19 projects participated in the initiative from Westmeath, Roscommon, Mayo, Limerick, Leitrim, Dublin, Monaghan, Cork, Wexford, Donegal, Offaly, Waterford and Tipperary.
It is anticipated that learning from the initiative will inform the ongoing implementation of the National Primary Care Strategy and, in particular, the policy commitment to establish 500 primary care teams by 2011. The final evaluation report and the
resources supporting the initiative will be made available at
www.hse.ie. For further details please email
rachel.mcevoy@
hse.ie
+ Health professionals and community representatives who were involved in the Community Participation in Primary Health Care Initiative. From front to back, left to right Row 1: Mary Cleary and Breda Galligan (Liberties and Rialto Home Help Services), Vera Ashton(Community Health Worker, Dolphin Health Initiative) Edel Reilly (Community Health Coordinator, Fatima Regeneration Board), Sara Rigney (Senior Primary Care Dietician), Dr Kevin O’Doherty (GP) Row 2: Helen Fitzpatrick (Physiotherapist), Anne O’Neill, (Senior Physiotherapist) Debbie Lynch (Community Development worker, Rialto Community Network), Ellen O’Dea (Acting Primary Care Manager) Row 3: Dr. Michael Doyle (GP), Brian Murphy (National Primary Care Services Manager) Dr Fergus O’Kelly (GP).
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