The first multi-disciplinary team staff have been appointed in the South West GP Federation area, following a launch event at Omagh Hospital and Primary Care Complex. Health leaders are now calling on Health Minister Mike Nesbitt to provide sustained investment to complete the rollout across 20 practices.

The programme is a collaboration between the South West GP Federation and the Western Health and Social Care Trust. It aims to place specialist care closer to communities stretching from Plumbridge to Lisnaskea. In the first year, four whole-time equivalent senior mental health practitioners and four first contact physiotherapists will be deployed.

Mental health practitioners will initially operate from three hubs: Erne Health Centre, Omagh Hospital & Primary Care Complex, and Lisnaskea Medical Centre. Outreach arrangements will serve Rathmore and Belleek. The interim model is intended to ensure equitable access while recruitment continues.

Rachel Forbes, chief executive officer of the South West GP Federation, stated that the federation is lobbying the Department of Health and the Strategic Planning and Performance Group for additional funding. She said the five-to-six-year rollout plan could be shortened with faster investment, allowing more staff to be placed directly into GP practices sooner.

The long-term plan is to embed practitioners directly in practices, allocated proportionally by patient population. Forbes reported that feedback from patients and practices has been positive and that the existing staff are already making a difference.