Developing a Framework for 'Community Paramedicine' in Ireland

Problem

'Sláintecare' is Ireland's ten-year strategy to transform health and social care services in Ireland. Sláintecare reorients the Irish health system towards developing primary and community health services, with new models of care that allow people to stay healthy in their homes and communities for as long as possible . 'Community Paramedicine' is a concept that provides community-centred healthcare services that bridge primary, unscheduled and emergency care. 'Community Paramedicine' is aligned to the principles of 'Sláintecare'. It has been widely implemented in Australasia, Canada, Finland, the UK, and USA. It is however a novel concept in Ireland.

Approach

Our working group developed a framework to allow national expansion of community paramedicine in Ireland. Our group had wide stakeholder representation and adopted an iterative consensus-based approach. To inform the development process we commissioned an international 'community paramedicine' scoping survey and a rapid systematic review that considered scope of practice, education, governance and outcomes. We engaged with local and international stakeholders, subject matter experts and the public.

Findings

The framework considers roles and professional responsibilities, scope of practice, education and training, governance, and research. The framework incorporates a scope of practice taxonomy that is relevant to the Irish context. The framework also incorporates one of the first published 'models of community paramedicine' that we are aware of.

Consequences

Our final framework will facilitate the development and expansion of 'Community Paramedicine' at national level in Ireland. Our model of practice can further contribute to the international understanding of 'Community Paramedicine.