Speech by Taoiseach Micheál Martin on the occasion of his visit to St Mary’s Health Campus Cork

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Good afternoon everyone.

It gives me great pleasure to join you today. I would like to start by thanking Michael Fitzgerald, Chief Officer for the invitation to be here.

Healthcare services have been provided at this site for almost seven decades, since 1955, and I’m delighted to see the range of services, including those under the Enhanced Community Care Programme, which have been developed on this outstanding campus.

Over the course of its long history, St Mary’s has been a significant health service and community resource for the people of the North side of the city and the surrounding areas.

I think everyone – and especially those of you working in the sector –recognises that there has historically been insufficient investment in community services in Ireland, which has left us overly reliant on acute hospital care.

We know that the problems of overcrowding and lack of access in hospitals cannot be solved in or by hospitals alone.

Rather we must look to better organise our health and social care services so that we are focused on delivering care in the community or indeed at home whenever possible.

We also know that healthcare here in Ireland - and indeed around much of the world - is facing other significant challenges.

We have a growing and aging population, and even good news like this, increasing life expectancy, brings with it a need for additional planning and resourcing to deal with increased chronic disease.

We are undertaking radical changes in how health services are delivered in order to meet these challenges.

The Enhanced Community Care Programme is a practical demonstration that the government’s Sláintecare policy is already actively working to change Ireland’s health service model.

At its core, the ECC is a programme of reform. With an investment of €240 million and 3,500 additional staff, it aims to increase overall levels of healthcare, with service delivery reoriented towards general practice, primary care and community-based services.

Innovative E-health solutions, improved access to diagnostic services, the critical role of our GPs, and more advanced care in the community are objectives that we have been increasingly focused on.

When fully embedded, we will have integrated care pathways across every acute hospital and community health area throughout Ireland.

The ECC programme is enabling new ways of working, empowering local staff leadership to meet the needs of local communities and shift the focus away from acute hospitals.

In the future, service development will be informed by population health needs and driven by Community Healthcare Networks.

Primary Care Centres, like the one on this site, will be an integral support to these networks.

The Primary Care Centre, here on St Mary’s campus, is an exemplar for other future facilities.

St Mary’s community specialist’s teams offer access to specialist services in the community for older persons and individuals living with more complex chronic disease who may require specialist input, along with access to diagnostics.

We have learned from Community Specialist teams that improved outcomes can be achieved when people are cared for in their own homes and communities. These teams will enable a shift in focus away from the acute hospital towards general practice, primary care and a community-based home first service model.

Take Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases – or COPD. We know admission rate to hospitals for COPD are high so let's bring them down by providing specialist staff in the community.

Overall, this community-based approach could deliver a 20% reduction in non-elective admissions for many chronic conditions, with all the associated benefits for both the healthcare system and those who rely on its services.

Of course, such transformation does not happen overnight, but it is happening. Even though we commenced implementation during the challenges of the pandemic, we have made significant progress.

We have already seen 79 community networks established and 27 community specialist teams established, with 3 established in Cork so far.

More than 2,000 staff have been recruited to primary care under the ECC, and another 1,700 will follow. This represents the most significant expansion in primary care capacity in the last two decades.

The investment by the government will ensure continued essential development.

An excellent example of essential development is of course Heather House Community Nursing Unit, located here on the St Mary’s Health Campus.

It provides 24 hour nursing care and support to both male & female residents ranging in dependency and also offering palliative care.

Our engagement with our older population clearly indicates their preference to remain in their own homes for as long as possible. We are meeting their wishes and preferences with the ECC reform initiatives.

However, for those who need greater care and support community nursing units, such as Heather House and the 60 new beds, are available which have been designed to meet the requirements of social distancing and infection prevention and control needs.

This is a welcome example of how services can be provided in an attractive and homely setting – which is what we would all want for our family members and indeed ourselves in those circumstances.

What you are doing here at St Mary’s is an example of our shared vision of patient centred, integrated, coordinated & continuing health care, provided to individuals, families and the community.

It has been a great pleasure to meet those of you who are delivering this care, and some of you who are benefitting it.

St. Mary’s campus has a strong relationship and collaboration with local community and voluntary groups. It is great to see so many of the partners present here today.

Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil libhse ar fad atá anseo inniu agus le bhur bhfoirne agus bhur gcomhghleacaithe i gcoitinne as an gceannaireacht chliniciúil agus foirne a theastaíonn i dtaobh fhorbairt agus chur chun cinn leanúnach na seirbhísí anseo ar champas Mhuire a léiriú.

Is main liom a aithint go háirithe go bhfuil misneach agus dúthracht iontach léirithe ag an bhfoireann ar fud seirbhísí sláinte agus cúraim shóisialta chun aghaidh a thabhairt ar na dúshláin a tháinig chun cinn de dheasca na paindéime le cúpla bliain anuas. Is amhlaidh atá sé i gcás na bhfoirne uile a oibríonn anseo ar Champas Sláinte Mhuire.

Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghlacadh leis an uile dhuine a bhí páirteach as an tiomantas agus an díograis a léirigh siad agus cúram pobail feabhsaithe á chur ar fáil.

Cuireann sé an-áthas orm anois Heather House (Teach an Fhraoigh) a oscailt go hoifigiúil.

I want to thank you all here today and your wider teams and colleagues for showing the clinical and team leadership that is required in the ongoing development and evolution of the services you provide.

In particular, I would also like to acknowledge the fact that staff throughout the health and social care services have shown incredible fortitude and commitment in meeting the challenges the pandemic has presented over the last couple of years. All of the teams working here on St Mary’s Health Campus are no different.

I wish to thank all involved for the commitment and dedication to the delivery of enhanced community care.

I am delighted to now officially open Heather House.

Go raibh maith agaibh.