Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health David Cullinane TD has today published a plan to improve local GP and health services, Caring for Communities.

The plan outlines how a Sinn Féin government would ensure patients can have timely access to the healthcare they need locally.

The plan sets out 30 concrete measures which can be taken to improve access to local services. 

Teachta Cullinane outlined the party’s plan to roll-out directly employed GPs and to increase multi-disciplinary primary care staffing in underserved rural and disadvantaged communities.

He said that Sinn Féin would lift the recruitment embargo and double the recruitment target into frontline roles in the health service for 2024.

He also set out how Sinn Féin would deliver a “Pharmacy First” model and a minor ailments scheme in pharmacies to relieve pressure on general practice.

The TD for Waterford said that Sinn Féin’s fully costed health plan would be underpinned by strategic workforce planning to ensure a sustainable supply of frontline workers, including training places across undergraduate, postgraduate, graduate-entry, and clinical specialist courses.

Teachta Cullinane said:

“Today we launched our plan to support and improve local GP and health services, Caring for Communities, which we would implement if we have a chance in Government.

“Sinn Féin is committed to supporting General Practice, directly employing GPs for rural and deprived communities, delivering a Pharmacy First model to relieve pressure from GPs, expanding multi-disciplinary teams, and providing more care in the community in general. A lack of alternative care options in the community is heaping avoidable pressure on acute hospitals and emergency departments.

“This is made worse by the recruitment embargo, which is in place because of the Government’s short-sighted and disastrous budget for 2024. Sinn Féin would lift the recruitment embargo and double the recruitment target into frontline roles in the health service for 2024. 

“Sinn Féin would bring an urgency to improving the health service and inject pace into the delivery of better local services. We would underpin our plans with strategic workforce planning to ensure a sustainable supply of frontline workers. 

“Local health services are under pressure and communities are suffering from a lack of respect for their needs. For the last decade, Fine Gael has ignored the growing health needs of local communities, and this Government has failed to take every action available to them. Sinn Féin would not miss the chance to improve local health services.”

Caring For Communities is available to view here: