Primary care in Northern Ireland is set for an overhaul in IT, according to a 20-year plan released by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.
The plan, entitled ‘Caring for People Beyond Tomorrow’, is short on detail of what kind of technology is planned for the future of the Northern Irish health service, but stresses the need for greater use of the internet for communication between primary care providers and patients, as well as care records that span health and social care.
The report sets objectives to develop an ICT system to enable such communication and to increase knowledge among patients of services available, with a particular focus on treatment and management of chronic conditions.
The second objective is "to develop and implement Information Communication Technology strategies and systems that better facilitate the efficient and effective delivery of primary care services across organisational and professional boundaries."
The report says that the Internet "could also be used as a communication vehicle for the transfer of test results directly to individuals and the provision of advice and even diagnosis and treatment between care professionals and individuals working together remotely from different locations – again reducing the need for face-to-face consultations."
Northern Ireland minister Shaun Woodward, said: "It [the plan] provides the vision we can all aspire to. More importantly, it is something that we can all contribute to in order to make it a reality.
"A primary care service that is accessible, responsive, modern, of the highest quality and meets the needs of all our people."