CAWT is the cross border health and social care partnership for the Health Service Executive in the Republic of Ireland and the Southern and Western Health and Social Care Trusts, the Strategic Planning and Performance Group (formerly Health and Social Care Board) and the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland. The CAWT partnership has been in existence since 1992 with the signing of the Ballyconnell Agreement. CAWT seeks to add value to health and social care activity by bringing a cross border dimension to the on-going collaboration between the health systems in both jurisdictions, and accessing EU funding in support of such activities where appropriate.
Our Vision
CAWT’s vision is to realise opportunities and develop new ways to improve health and social care services for the well-being of people through collaboration across borders and boundaries.
Our Objectives
We will:
- Create opportunities for alternative, added value approaches to health and social care service delivery by facilitating people from both jurisdictions to collaborate, share ideas and develop practical solutions to common health challenges.
- Identify solutions to barriers to the cross border mobility of patients and professionals.
- Actively pursue strategic alliances with both internal health and social care partners and external agencies and groups in order to support the delivery of creative and innovative solutions to current and emerging health and social care challenges.
- Provide comprehensive intelligence and facilitate sharing of data and information on cross border health and wellbeing.
- Increase usage of technology within health and social care to improve care and enable better access to services.
- Engage with and positively influence policymakers and other key stakeholders in relation to the development and direction of cross border health and social care.
- Embed cross border planning and implementation in core activities, where more efficient and cost effective to do so.
European Union
CAWT has delivered a number of successive EU funded programmes. In 2008, both Departments of Health appointed CAWT as the Delivery Agent for the new EU INTERREG IVA ‘Priority 2, Theme 1 – Co-operation for a sustainable cross-border region / Collaboration.’ Under this measure, 12 large scale, strategic, cross border health and social care services / projects were delivered across the border region and within the eligible are of Northern Ireland. The ‘Putting Patients, Clients and Families First’ programme, which concluded in 2015, had a strong focus on improving access to services, promoting health and well-being, reducing health inequalities and promoting social inclusion.
During 2017, the CAWT Partnership secured EU grant funding for 5 projects from the new INTERREG VA programme for Ireland/Scotland/Northern Ireland (2014 to 2020). The focus for these projects includes: prevention & early intervention, tackling health inequalities, supporting independent living, building resilience and recovery within people & communities, technology as an enabler for change and to underpin services, partnerships with the community and voluntary sector, improved use of existing health and social care infrastructure, upskilling and building staff resilience and overcoming barriers to mobility on a cross border basis. To view these projects: EU INTERREG VA projects
Other/Commissioned Projects
CAWT also undertakes cross border work commissioned by the two Departments of Health and our partner organisations.