The new primary health care plan presented yesterday was both "possible and very achievable," health board chief executives believe.
On behalf of the CEO's, Dr Sheelah Ryan of the Western Health Board, said her colleagues welcomed the strategy. "It is creating a new and unique opportunity to bring about fundamental changes in the way community services will be provided into the future."
She said it recognised 90 to 95 per cent of all our health and social needs can and should be met in the community setting. This was particularly important for children and families, older people, people with mental health, long term illness and people with disability. "Of course the strategy raises as many questions as it proposes to answer and many of these are going to be tossed around in the days and weeks ahead. Some may question the 10-year timeframe and whether this is a reflection on priorities. I think not. We know there is still a huge capacity issue to be dealt with in terms of the qualifying and recruitment of a whole range of additional personnel and of course we have to build our primary care centres."
She said success of the strategy would be determined by how hard all parties worked together to achieve dialogue and consensus.