To ask the Minister of Health (i) to outline services which are offered at Treatment Rooms in Primary Care practices; (ii) whether each service has been additionally resourced; and (iii) what feedback he has received from primary care practitioners about Treatment Room services.

(i) While some practices manage their own treatment room the majority of treatment rooms are managed and supported by local Trusts.

Treatment rooms across Northern Ireland offer a range of service to the GP practices and patients locally. In general Treatment rooms may provide some phlebotomy, urine testing, ECGs, wound management/dressing. Some will carry out base line observations such as blood pressure readings. Some might assist with immunisation (children and adult) and near patient testing for INR monitoring. Some support GPs with minor surgery. All would be trained and supportive to manage a cardiac arrest scenario with basic life support.

Practices may employ their own health care assistant (HCA), Practice Nurses (PN), Advanced Nurse Practitioners to compliment the treatment room service. Often practice employed HCAs and PNs will be involved in the monitoring and management of patients with known chronic disease (Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, Asthma, COPD etc as well as ensure safe monitoring more complex medication such as Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDS) and Warfarin.

(ii) Treatment Rooms are not resourced for individual services provided, but rather for the full range of services to patients. Treatment Rooms are resourced by local Trusts.

(iii) GP Practices value their nursing and Health Care Assistant colleagues within Treatment rooms. However, in some localities across the region, practices have reported difficulty with access to Treatment Rooms for their patients. Some practices have also reported that complex dressings from secondary care can take up significant time in Trust treatment rooms impacting on primary care access.