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Northern Ireland Government funds improvements to primary care estate

The Department of Health in Northern Ireland has announced investment of £26.76m in GP services over 2019/2020, including improvements to the estate.

Funding allocation includes:

  • up to £18.17m for the continuation and acceleration of transformation projects commenced in 2018/19.
    This includes: up to £11.1m for the ongoing rollout of multi-disciplinary teams; £3.5m for elective care services delivered through general practice; and £1.1m to support Advanced Nurse Practitioners.

  • £2.19m to support the rollout of the next stage of the Practice Based Pharmacist scheme, bringing the total recurrent investment to nearly £13.19m.

  • up to £3.9m to invest in GP premises, with a focus on supporting the delivery of multi-disciplinary team working and the expansion of training.

 

The department’s Permanent Secretary, Richard Pengelly, said: “This investment builds on the £37.7m of additional funding invested in GP and related services over the last two years. It reflects the crucial role general practice has in delivering health and social care to meet the needs of patients, now and in
the future.”

Dr Alan Stout, chairman of the General Practitioners Committee in Northern Ireland, added, “The transformation money that has already been invested is easing the workload of GPs. It is allowing a patient’s needs to be better met by a broader range of frontline health professionals. 

“This increased investment is such good news for GPs, for primary care, and for patients across Northern Ireland. It will mean that more GP practices will be able to begin the process of transforming the way they deliver services.”

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