From 1st June 2014 the Cross Border Healthcare Directive 2011/24/EU will be put on the Irish Statute Book. Better late than never! It should have been passed into law by 24 October 2013, as they had two years to prepare for it like all other EU Member States.
What does this mean? In essence “if you are entitled to healthcare treatment here (in Ireland) you can get it there (Castle Craig in Scotland)”. We look forward to many from Ireland joining our International recovery community.
All EU governments are obliged to establish a National Contact Point (NCP) to assist you or a family member with getting treatment abroad. The Irish contact point can be contacted at 01 620 1826 or crossborderdirective@hse.ie. Better still contact Paddy Creedon, Castle Craig representative in Ireland, at paddy@creeonandcreedon.com or 087 253 2011.
It is now a fundamental right under EU law that all EU citizens can get treatment in any other EU member state. For more details about how to do this in Ireland, read Paddy Creedon’s blog article which goes into the system in greater detail.
Assessments can be carried out by video conferencing using your own laptop or ipad as indeed so can continuing care once the patient has left treatment and also family therapy.
In the early days the officials will be learning the ropes in handling the EU’s Cross Border Directive so perseverance will be necessary.
We look forward to many from Ireland joining our International recovery community.
You can see here the Irish regulations regarding Cross Border Healthcare.
