“Every day we meet patients who are seeking to address complex health issues, and with the support of our multidisciplinary inclusion health team, we are able to begin to stabilise things and support them to engage with an array of relevant services across the region,” according to Dr Patrick O’Donnell, Inclusion Health GP, speaking as the HSE Mid West Inclusion Clinic working with marginalised people in Limerick City and across the Mid West confirmed they were providing up to 2,500 consultations per year.
Speaking as Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy Jennifer Murnane O’Connor visited the clinic, Dr O’Donnell explained that the purpose of the clinic was to support people to try and improve their health while also encouraging them to register and engage with the mainstream health services. Welcoming the Minister, he outlined how they were discussing “the work that has been taking place here over the past 10 years to develop this service for underserved groups across the Mid West.”
The Inclusion Clinic works with people who are homeless, people with severe addiction, migrants and refugees, and other groups. Based in the heart of the city, the clinic also provides outreach services to many hostels and other accommodation sites across the region.
Staffed by a GP, experienced nurses and a key worker from Ana Liffey Drug Project, services provided include general healthcare, the management of wounds and infections, mental health assessments, sexual health and contraceptive services, blood testing, vaccinations, screening and more. The clinic functions as part of the wider multidisciplinary HSE social inclusion team, and the staff engage with many local and regional non-governmental organisations and agencies.
During her visit, Minister Murnane O’Connor was informed of the results of an economic evaluation of the inclusion health clinic’s work, which found that through improving access to general practice and basic healthcare services in the community, the service was potentially saving an estimated €330,000 in costs averted by the acute hospital system, in addition to 418 bed nights over the 12-month evaluation period.
Minister Murnane O’Connor outlined how,
“if we are to improve overall population health, we must ensure that everyone in society is supported and empowered to access vital health services. A number of inclusion health clinics such as this one in Limerick, funded by the Department of Health and operated by the HSE, are now in operation across the country. It’s heartening to visit and witness the impact of their work, which is supporting people in marginalised groups to access care when they need it, reducing avoidable pressure on hospitals, and most importantly enabling better health outcomes".
Dr O’Donnell also outlined how the clinic
“began as a pilot project established by the University of Limerick School of Medicine, HSE Mid West Social Inclusion and Primary Care and the National Social Inclusion Office. Initially, clinics were hosted at the St Vincent de Paul Drop-in Centre and the Ana Liffey Drug Project offices, but it has since expanded and moved to the HSE Mid West Social Inclusion offices. I would like to thank the Minister and the Drugs Policy, Refugee and Inclusion Health Unit at the Department of Health for their support in this endeavour.”
During her visit to Limerick, Minister Murnane O’Connor also met with members of the Mid West Regional Drugs and Alcohol Forum, who are also based on Mungret Street, and visited a number of organisations providing essential health and social care services to marginalised groups in the city, including the Ana Liffey Drug Project and Novas.
The service is also in keeping with the HSE Corporate Plan, under the wider determinants of health, seeking to implement the emerging National Inclusion Health Framework and community initiatives aimed at addressing health inequalities.