Unit seeks to ‘mainstream’ prevention across services

As part of a change in policy, a Health and Wellbeing Division was established last year as part of a shift from simply treating sick people to keeping them healthy in the first place.

Stephanie O’Keeffe, the division’s national director, stressed the costs of alcohol misuse, tobacco-related illnesses and obesity and the need to tackle those problems. She said the aim was to “mainstream” prevention and health improvement throughout healthcare and social care services.

“We have a health promotion and improvement service which is really aiming to embed preventative health measures in our services. We need to be as preoccupied about health as we are about hospitals.”

This year the division has been given a national budget allocation of €227.9m.

Its priorities include:

* Chronic disease prevention addressing tobacco use, diet, physical inactivity, alcohol misuse, and mental wellbeing;

* Immunisation, child health and screening;

* Enforcement of legislation to protect health and wellbeing;

* Infectious diseases, environmental health threats and emergency management.

The social care division will support older people and people with disabilities.

In the disability sector, the HSE says an additional investment of €14m and 130 additional staff will provide places for an estimated 1,200 young people leaving school or rehabilitative training nationwide; and roll out a model of assessment and intervention, that aims to provide one clear referral pathway for all children irrespective of their disability. It said more than 150 people will move to more appropriate homes in the community.

In the services for older people, the HSE said it will maintain existing home help services at 2013 levels — 10.3m hours nationally and home care packages for 10,870 people. There will be €23m from a nursing home support scheme to increase home care and community supports.

Pat Healy, national director social care, said: “There are 56,000 people benefiting from homecare and they will continue to benefit in 2014.”