Call for public role in health

COMMUNITIES should play a greater role in designing and delivering healthcare services, the Combat Poverty Agency said yesterday.

Launching a report on the outcomes of its Building Health Communities programme which has supported 10 projects around the country, the CPA said local communities knew best what services were needed, and their involvement in delivering the services could also bring down costs.

Speaking at the launch yesterday, Combat Poverty team leader Jim Walsh said: “By involving people experiencing poverty in the delivery of health services, we can improve health outcomes and contribute to cost-savings in the health service.

“Within our current economic climate, we need to be smarter about how we allocate resources and operate essential infrastructures. In ascertaining areas of expenditure, not only do we need to be more cost-conscious, but any investment should have the maximum reach, and people living in poverty should be targeted specifically.”

The 10 funded projects included:

Cairde: Developing a National Ethnic Minority Health Forum to influence policy.

Schizophrenia Ireland: Establishing a national Women Together Network, for women experiencing mental health difficulties.

Irish Deaf Society (IDS): Promoting Irish sign language to boost access to and provision of health services.

OPEN (One Parent Exchange Network): Addressing issues of isolation among lone parents.

Galway Refugee Support Group: Working with asylum-seekers and refugees to ensure appropriate services and support in health.

Fettercairn Community Health Project: Developing a community-led health response to the health of residents in West Tallaght.

West Offaly Integrated Development Partnership Ltd: Inter-agency response to disadvantage in rural areas.

Mr Walsh said the effect of involving local people in the projects had ensured tangible health benefits.

“In the case of the project operated through the Irish Deaf Society, women in the deaf community were provided with information on breast-screening through sign language,” he said.

“This, in turn, improved their take-up of screening and resulted – in some cases – in early detection of breast cancer, which otherwise may have gone unnoticed until a later stage.”

Mary Culliton, HSE Head of Consumer Affairs, said: “The Building Healthy Communities projects have developed models that can be easily replicated and have provided lessons for a range of players, including HSE.”