The goal of primary healthcare is to provide the best possible health services to the population . While the majority of curative services can be carried out at outpatient clinics (inside or outside primary healthcare centers), one of important tasks of primary healthcare centres remains provision and coordination of preventive services and health promotion programmes. “A primary healthcare centres should thus become a centre of planning and implementing health promotion and preventive care programmes aimed at maintaining and strengthening health. It should be a centre of health education at the local level.” (Ref.: Vizija prihodnosti zdravstvenih domov v Sloveniji, Darinka Klančar, Igor Švab, Janko Kersnik, Zdrav Var 2010; 49: 37–43).
Primary healthcare centres provide healthcare services and prevention programmes to local communities. They tackle health inequalities through continuous and accessible provision of care. Primary healthcare centres also cooperate with other public services as well as governmental and non-governmental organisations in local settings.
Several new structures operate within primary health care centres: an expert group on prevention; a coordination team for preventive healthcare for children and adolescents; prevention teams for children and adolescents at individual schools; and a coordination team for preventive healthcare for adults.
Expert group on prevention:
- assessest health status and responsiveness of target populations to preventive care programmes (in cooperation with the National Institute of Public Health – NIJZ),
- reviews and discusses the results of survey on vulnerable groups with regard to health and their access to healthcare (the survey is made by an interdisciplinary group of experts from the NIJZ),
- considers the findings from the assessment of the situation in the primary health care centre concerning the provision of equitable healthcare of vulnerable individuals,
- draws up the strategy of the primary healthcare centre for health promotion and reducing health inequalities, in cooperation with the NIJZ,
- draws up the action plan of the primary healthcare centre for health promotion and reducing health inequalities, in cooperation with the NIJZ,
- provides expert support to smooth integration, communication and transfer of information between various providers of preventive health care in Integrated HPCs.
The group is nominated by the director of the primary healthcare centre. The head of the group is a medical specialist.
Coordination team for the preventive healthcare for children and adolescents:
- addresses professional issues concerning prevention, health promotion, the identification and inclusion of vulnerable individuals/groups and the reduction of health inequalities in the population of children and adolescents,
- provides expert support for integration and cooperation between the providers of preventive health care in Integrated HPCs and the local community.
The team is nominated by the director of the primary healthcare centre. The head of the team is a medical specialist.
Prevention team for children and adolescents at a school/preschool institution:
- enables cooperation between healthcare and allied professionals who provide preventive services to children and adolescents at a school/preschool institution,
- monitors the health status of the school and preschool population, and prepares and implements measures according to the situation,
- addresses professional issues concerning prevention (health education), health promotion and the reduction of health inequalities among school and preschool children and adolescents,
- provides expert support to the school and preschool staff with special focus on achieving common goals related to children’s health, and
- plans the inclusion of an interpreter and/or intercultural mediator in preventive services for individuals from other cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
The team is nominated by the director of the primary healthcare centre in accordance with the professional guidelines of the NIJZ. The head of a team is a medical specialist.
Coordination team for the preventive healthcare for adults:
- provides expert support to the continuous integration and cooperation of providers of preventive health care in the integrated HPCs,
- deals with professional issues concerning prevention, health promotion and the reduction of health inequalities among adults,
- plans involvement of an interpreter and/or intercultural mediator in preventive services for individuals from other cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds,
- monitors the responsiveness of the target population to preventive services.
The team is nominated by the director of the primary healthcare centre according to the professional guidelines of the NIJZ.
