The health and social care system treats everyone

equally

The health and social care system is focused

on the needs of all groups in society

People have an entitlement to health and social care, free at

the point of access

The different elements of the health and social

care system work together and are

connected

The health and social care system is a

universal, publicly funded system, which is

not based on profit

“Health-proof” all legislation to estimate risks and benefits to health

Commitment to build a National Health Service, free at the point of use and paid for through progressive central taxation

Abolish prescription charges

Proposal to increase the number of primary care team, which will be networked with hospitals and other health services

Abolish the HSE and replace it with Community Health Councils and an Independent Agency of Health Promotion

Commitment to build a National Health Service, free at the point of use and paid for through progressive central taxation

Will propose a constitutional amendment to prevent the privatisation of the health service

Ensure communities have access to GP care linked to FF’s

Abolish prescription charges

Reduce the Drug Payments

Establishment of an independent oversight group to guarantee best practice in the

Fianna Fáil believes in a publicly funded, publicly delivered health care

Community Services Guarantee

Scheme threshold from €144 per month to €100 per month

Expansion of GP care on the basis of income

Ensure a more humane system of access to discretionary medical cards

management of resources and to ensure frontline services are maximised to the benefit of patients

Re-balance the proportion of the health budget going to primary care to the international benchmark

Introduce specific programme targets for rebalancing of health service towards primary care

Establish a new mental health authority

Carry out a full review of what remains to be achieved under “A Vision for Change

service, that the Government continues to provide adequate finance for

Commitment to end the process of trying to implement compulsory private health insurance and protect hospital trusts from privatisation

Fine Gael support proposals to incentivise rural general practice

Fine Gael recognise the need to provide additional support for GP practices in disadvantaged urban areas and will bring forward proposals in this regards after consultation with doctors' representatives

A plan for Universal Healthcare which sees access to quality preventative, primary, curative rehabilitative and end-of-life healthcare that is timely and affordable for everyone

Reduce the level of co-payment for medicine under to the Drugs Payment Scheme from €1,728 per annum to €950

The cap on prescription charges will be reduced from €25 per month to €17.50

Free GP care will be extended to under 18s

Fine Gael are committed to a decisive shift towards care in the community, along with additional frontline staff to alleviate pressure on Emergency Departments

Fine Gael will dismantle the HSE, and devolve decision making to Hospital Groups and Community Health Organisations (CHOs)

Fine Gael plan to link budgets to activity

Fine Gael plan to provide at least 80 primary care centres

Ensure access to X-ray, ultrasound and other investigations for their patients

Commitment to a strong and efficient publicly funded health service

Fine Gael will maintain a tax and regulatory environment that supports increased coverage by a competitive and cost-effective health insurance market

Fine Gael believe further work needs to be conducted on the costs of various funding models for universal healthcare and how to best meet these costs and needs not met. Fine Gael want to deliver a reform programme, so that the foundations are in place to

The number of multi-disciplinary teams will be expanded

A preventive dental health package will be introduced for medical card holders

Extension of youth mental health services and counselling in primary care

Integration of psychotherapy, counselling and social care services with primary care teams

change the current model

The HSE will change into a Health Commission, focused on purchasing services and care for patients from Hospital Trusts and CHOs

The Green Party believes in a systematic approach to universal healthcare, built around patient empowerment and preventative methods, accessed on the basis of medical need and executed in an economic, equitable and ecological manner

The Party has committed to equity of outcomes in health and fairness in opportunities and access to health services

Support for ‘Health in all Policies’ principle which states that all major public policy initiatives should indicate their impact on health through the use of health impact assessment

All healthcare should

A formal process for regular review of services, in consultation with stakeholders, is needed to identify barriers to access. The outcome of these reviews should include plans to deal with problems of access and should be published

The Party supports the reinstatement of distance codes that reimburse GPs who look after medical card patients in their own homes and the standardisation of the granting of rural practice allowances

The Party believes in the introduction of charges for all medical services, subject to medical need and ability to pay

Believe that “those who have the resources should pay nominal charges for all medical services at point-of-use of those services

Reduction in prescription charge to 50c

A €15 GP visit co-payment for all persons over 18 or out of full-time education

Extend eligibility for free GP visits to a number of medical conditions on an annual basis

Favour the dissolution of the HSE and the further development of the new Community Health Organisation (CHO) model and the creation of commissioning groups to manage hospital groups

Support the development of a comprehensive public health nursing service to support preventative healthcare

Prioritisation of environmental and community resources to prevent mental and physical health problems

The Green Party supports the integration of

The Party believes in a single-tier health system based on need rather than ability to pay and that the fairest way to achieve this is through general taxation

Support for the phasing out of all tax relief on payments to private healthcare and private health insurance over five years

be provided equally regardless of economic, social or cultural status

The Green Party recognises that health policy must welcome and support diversity and ensure that goods and services are offered in a culturally sensitive way

over 5 years. alternative/complementary healthcare into publicly-funded healthcare systems where clinical evidence of its effectiveness can be demonstrated and regulation of practitioners exists

A new National Community Health Service will provide timely and free accessto GP care, mental health care and dental care for all children and adults alongwith reduced cost of medication and primary care health services

Extend free GP care to those under 18, followed by the rest of the population to ensure no-one has to pay to see their

Build on the excellent work achieved in the breast cancer treatment programme

We will extend this highly successful model with early assessment initiatives and targeted wait times to other conditions. This will start with the other cancers and neurosurgery. It

Free and timely access to health service.

Ensure that HSE provided community care services remain free of charge. We will improve these vital services by increasing the number of home help hours by 50% by 2021 and by making available a better mix of

The provision of primary care centres and teams throughout the country will significantly increase health and social care in local communities and will redirect pressure away from acute hospitals.

Mental health early intervention

Committment to ending the two tier health system. Will deliver Universal Health Care by creating a new National Community Health Service – a public primary care system where access is free to all.

Implement financial reforms including a more efficient activity-based funding

GP by 2021 at the latest

will involve the recruitment of additional consultants but also greater involvement of advanced nurse practitioners to ensure that patients get the timely diagnoses and treatment every citizen deserves.

Ensure that quality palliative care is available to all those who need it

day and after-hours services.

Introduce a universal entitlement to a free dental examination, scale and polish twice per year

mode, or ‘money follows the patient’.

Costings provided across three policy areas – primary, social and community care; hospital system and mental health.

Ensure all citizens, including those with disabilities can play a full and independent part in all aspects of life. End two tier access to hospital care – Integrated Hospital Waiting List Management system.

Provision of healthcare services and social care services as a right, with equal access for all based on need and to the greatest extent that resources allow. This right is especially

Implement mental health strategy, a Vision for Change, and suicide prevention strategy, Connecting for Life

Move from two –tier, public-private system towards a universal healthcare system, free at the point of entry where access based on need alone through progressive taxation. Health

relevant for older people and the provision of supports for older people is becoming increasingly important as our population ages.

Legislate for a distinct, new ‘medical need’ ground for eligibility for the medical card, based on medical need and not on means or diagnosis titles.

Home supports provided free of charge based on assessment of need.

Primary goal a new public health system that provides care free at the point of delivery

budget will be increased each year.

Private activity from public hospitals will be eliminated. The revenue stream will be replaced at a cost of €500 million in part by the withdrawal of tax relief on Private Health Insurance

based on need. Universal dental

healthcare. Extend free GP care to the remainder of the population by incrementally increasing the financial threshold for GP visit cards (€28 million per year)

Incrementally abolish prescription charges for medical card holders (€120 million) and lower the maximum monthly spend under the drug payments scheme and ultimately abolishing al charges for prescription drugs as par of universal health

care (€160 million)

Abolish €100 charge for ED and €75 per day charge for inpatient care (€45.2 million)

Make private and public healthcare effectively equivalent in terms of quality and accessibility

The Social Democrats want a health service that is accessible to all

Provide universal access to primary and community healthcare services

Halve prescription charges

Commitment to invest in primary care centres around the country and recruitment of additional communityhealthcare staff to deliver better care, closer to home

Align Community Healthcare Organisations with Hospital Group areas

Work collaboratively with staff and patients to create a long-term vision for the health service

Reform the Fair

Want to ensure a modern single-tier, publicly funded healthcare system

The Social Democrats believe this would end the current two-tier health service and reduce the need for private health insurance

Deal scheme to provide a legal entitlement to home care package

Fund “A Vision for Change” so that mental health and counselling services can be built around the country, with a focus on adolescents

Commitment to ensure mental health teams on call 24/7 in each hospital area

Investment in Community Mental Health teams and counselling in Primary Care

Implement in full the ‘Mental Health Reform 6 point plan’

Support Hospital Trusts and

promote independence as well as competition between them to drive costs down

Create a National Heath Forum involving all stakeholders in Health to debate and agree on all policy initiatives in the field of publicly and privately funded healthcare