07/03/2025
£61m Investment To Bolster GP Services
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has announced a £61m investment aimed at stabilising GP services and advancing health service reform. The funding will facilitate the expansion of the Primary Care Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDT) Programme to five new areas: North Belfast, the South-West (Fermanagh/West Tyrone), East Antrim, Craigavon, and Dungannon/Armagh.
The funding, announced by Finance Minister John O'Dowd as part of a £129m allocation of Executive transformation funding, will support a partnership between GP Federations and HSC Trusts. The MDT Programme introduces physiotherapy, social work, and mental health roles into general practices, working alongside existing practice teams. This initiative aims to shift the health service focus from treating illness to promoting physical and mental health and social wellbeing.
Minister Nesbitt, along with Finance Minister O'Dowd, deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, Secretary of State Hilary Benn, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Fleur Anderson, visited Eden Park Medical Practice in North Belfast, one of the areas set to benefit from the MDT expansion.
"This is a truly transformational investment," stated Minister Nesbitt. "I am determined to secure a decisive shift left in our health service, with more resources directed to primary care. By helping people stay well and manage health conditions, this can reduce reliance on hospital care. Shifting left is also central to my objective of addressing health inequalities."
He also acknowledged the pressures faced by GP practices, noting that feedback from senior GPs in existing MDT areas indicates the programme's potential to stabilise GP services.
Currently, the MDT programme covers seven GP Federation areas, with 368 whole-time equivalent front-line staff working across 117 GP practices. In 2023/24, MDTs provided 301,000 additional consultations and supported over 10,000 patients through community initiatives.
The programme's full province-wide rollout will occur in two phases over seven to eight years. The £61m investment will support the first phase, enabling completion in existing MDT areas and expansion to the five new areas, covering approximately 670,000 people. The second phase, from 2029/30, will extend the programme to the remaining five GP Federation areas, ensuring all areas begin MDT implementation within five years.
The funding, announced by Finance Minister John O'Dowd as part of a £129m allocation of Executive transformation funding, will support a partnership between GP Federations and HSC Trusts. The MDT Programme introduces physiotherapy, social work, and mental health roles into general practices, working alongside existing practice teams. This initiative aims to shift the health service focus from treating illness to promoting physical and mental health and social wellbeing.
Minister Nesbitt, along with Finance Minister O'Dowd, deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, Secretary of State Hilary Benn, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Fleur Anderson, visited Eden Park Medical Practice in North Belfast, one of the areas set to benefit from the MDT expansion.
"This is a truly transformational investment," stated Minister Nesbitt. "I am determined to secure a decisive shift left in our health service, with more resources directed to primary care. By helping people stay well and manage health conditions, this can reduce reliance on hospital care. Shifting left is also central to my objective of addressing health inequalities."
He also acknowledged the pressures faced by GP practices, noting that feedback from senior GPs in existing MDT areas indicates the programme's potential to stabilise GP services.
Currently, the MDT programme covers seven GP Federation areas, with 368 whole-time equivalent front-line staff working across 117 GP practices. In 2023/24, MDTs provided 301,000 additional consultations and supported over 10,000 patients through community initiatives.
The programme's full province-wide rollout will occur in two phases over seven to eight years. The £61m investment will support the first phase, enabling completion in existing MDT areas and expansion to the five new areas, covering approximately 670,000 people. The second phase, from 2029/30, will extend the programme to the remaining five GP Federation areas, ensuring all areas begin MDT implementation within five years.
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A sunny but frosty start for many. However cloud increases by midday with a few showers reaching the north coast, these mostly light but spreading inland this afternoon. Chilly. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A rather cloudy evening with scattered showers. Becoming drier through the night with some good clear spells developing and a patchy frost away from coasts. Minimum temperature 0 °C.