The Community Health Medical Services offer and deliver Primary Health prevention services to school going children. In carrying out this work Community Health doctors work in cooperation with children, parents, schools, and with School and Community Public Health nurses ,with Health service Administration staff and with GPs. Community Health Medicine doctors-Senior Medical Officers and Area Medical Officers have postgraduaate qualifications in Child Health and or Public Health .The scope of work in this service is twofold, namely School Immunisation services are offered and also Child Health and School Health follow up Screening assessments are offered.
Vaccines are given in clinics and schools through the Primary School and Secondary School Immunisation Programmes. Immunisation teams address this work and work to National policies following the agreed National Immunisation schedule for school going children and young persons. The aim of the School Immunisation Programmes is to achieve optimum vaccine uptake in order to eliminate or reduce the risk of infectious diseases and ensure that children stay healthy.Doctors working in these programmes are available to offer information and advise about vaccines as requested . As well as the School Immunisation Programmes , BCG vaccine is available for children through the BCG Programme .
Child Health screening follow up work allows the identification of children requiring onward referral for further assessment and investigation and thereafter possibly treatment to therapists and or to Hospital Specialists. Medical Officers receive child referrals mainly from Public Health nurses and School nurses who have carried out the initial screening examinations but also directly from GP s ,allied health professions and the Early Intervention forum.The child Health area of work tracks children’s growth and developmental progress with an emphasis on motor development, vision hearing and speech and social development in order to make timely referrals for intervention by Specialist colleagues and other therapists as necessary. In this work Medical officers work closely with the Early Intervention teams so that children can receive necessary interventions early which timely action promises better outcomes and enables children with special need to grow and develop optimally.
The school service identifies vision hearing and growth problems and other non acute health problems such as behaviour -psychological problems of children requiring further assessment and links the children who require services with those services so that they treatment and further follow up.
The Medical Officers in the Community Health Medical service also carry out medical assessments for persons applying to Revenue office for benefit under Disabled Drivers/Passengers Tax Concessions Scheme and a certificate called a Primary Medical Certificate is provided to persons meeting eligibility criteria for return to Revenue office with the completed grant application form.
Senior Community Health Medical Heath doctors also have an advisory role at local level within the health service in relation to the processing of various Health service schemes- Long Term Illness scheme and Maternity and Infant Care scheme.
Community Health Medical Services
- School Immunisation Programmes –Secondary schools( HPV Tdap Men C) (School based service )
- School Immunisation Programmes – Primary Schools (Booster 4in1 and Booster MMR)(school based or clinic based service )
- Child Health follow up screening clinic assessments
- School Health follow up screening clinic assessments
- BCG Immunisation Programme
- School Health Service Screening follow up work
- Medical assessment work for Primary Medical Certificate
- Access to clinics for Child and School Health services is by appointment –(following initial routine screening by Public Health nurses or referral from GP or other health service provider or request from parent or teacher
- For PMC applications Contact local health office