HSE Launch Consultation On National Medical Card Unit

The HSE's National Medical Card Unit (NMCU) has launched a public consultation on its Draft Medical Card Unit strategic plan 2016-2018, which will outline the direction and focus for the next three years.

People who use the Medical Card Unit's services and other interested stakeholders are being invited to give their views on this Strategic Plan and on the objectives to be achieved over the next three years. In developing the Strategic Plan, the NMCU has reviewed each of its areas of work to ensure it has maximum impact on the customer focus of the work undertaken by the staff working in the service.

Consultation submissions will be reviewed to produce a final document concentrating on a number of outcomes, namely: that services are easy to access, that customer care is a key priority; that the work of the unit is open and transparent and that decisions on how medical cards are awarded or declined are shared with the applicants in a transparent way.

Anne Marie Hoey, Assistant National Director Primary Care Reimbursement and Eligibility said: "We have developed this Draft Strategic Plan with the intention of further improving the experience of people who use our services and in developing our staff so they can maximise their potential. Our Draft Strategic Plan sets out our aims and objectives for the next three years. It also outlines how we will meet our core responsibilities and how we will plan and prepare for the future.

"We are committed to working in an open and transparent way with the people who use our medical card services. This strategic plan will enable us to build on the enormous amount of work that has already been undertaken with the centralisation of the service to ensure fairness and equity to all applicants. We welcome feedback on the strategy from our key stakeholders and service users; we hope people will engage with this public consultation."

Following the consultation, submissions will be considered and will inform the final Strategic Plan.

(MH/CD)