Irish Life Health and Centric Health announce the development of a significant new addition to healthcare provision in Ireland called Care-Connect

• A multi-phase partnership between Irish Life Health and Centric Health
• An innovative, primary healthcare service that blends in-person and digital experience to provide easy and convenient access to expert care and personalised health advice for Irish Life Health customers
• Care-Connect will support better health and lifestyle outcomes for customers

31 August 2022. Irish Life Health today announced its role in leading the development of a significant new addition to primary healthcare provision in Ireland. In partnership with Centric Health, Irish Life Health will provide access to a new healthcare service in the community called Care-Connect that comprises a mix of digital and in-person care for its customers^*. 

The venture is the first of its kind for Irish Life Health since it became part of the Irish Life Group and represents the first phase of the partnership with Centric Health. It supports the wider group’s ambitions to offer customer centred solutions to support Ireland’s physical and financial health.
Centric health is Ireland’s leading primary care provider with over 68 locations nationwide, with a network of 250 GPs and currently caring for over 500,000 patients annually.

The partnership recognises and builds on the vital role of case management and personalised support in delivering health care. Using collaborative medical and connected health expertise it provides a mix of remote monitoring and in-person services for customers.

This development in primary healthcare provision will provide timely access to quality community care, helping patients with chronic disease organise and navigate their health journeys in order to ensure that they have easy access to the right care in the right location.

In announcing the partnership Ger Davis, Irish Life Health Managing Director said: “This initiative is an important strategic step for Irish Life Health, and its almost 500,000 customers, in that it represents a collective stake in a new future for community healthcare. "Our research shows that the direction of travel in healthcare is to use technology and personalised health advice in the community to support people in managing their health and to improve their quality of life. We also know that convenience, speed, and reassurance are the main priorities for our customers, particularly in using virtual health models. Supporting better health and lifestyle outcomes for our customers is what we are all about and Care-Connect will deliver this.”

Maurice Cox, CEO for Centric Health stated: “There is a significant appetite for what’s called ‘digi-physical’ healthcare in Ireland and the mix of remote and face-to-face experiences together with the interconnected network of clinical services that this partnership provides, will serve this market well. This health care model funded in partnership with a leading health insurance provider has the flexibility to enable and encourage patients to learn and know more about their health and adhere to positive health behaviours. Centric Health, as Ireland’s largest primary care experts are optimally positioned to take a leadership role in this exciting development with Irish Life Health.”

The new venture will be led by Dr Donal Bailey, Director of Clinical Innovation in Centric Health. Dr Donal Bailey CEO of Care Connect added: “Research has shown that integrated care, with an emphasis on care and support in the community, can improve quality of life, deliver better clinical outcomes and reduce the strain recurrent admissions has on healthcare provision. This new digi-physical model will allow patients to access care earlier and more frequently and our aim always is to provide better health outcomes for people.”

For information and interviews contact Drury

Claire Rowley / Claire.rowley@drury.ie / 087 2695014
Tina Leonard / tina.leonard@drury.ie / 087 2243004

* The new service will be available to Irish Life Health customers and dependent on plan type. The subject is service to EU Merger Control approval.

About Irish Life:

Irish Life is one of Ireland’s leading financial services groups, now taking care of over 1.4 million customers. We help people to confidently prepare for and embrace life’s changes with our wide range of health, life, pension and investment solutions.

We are part of the Great-West Lifeco group of companies, one of the world’s leading life assurance organisations. Great-West Lifeco and its subsidiaries have over CAD$2.3 trillion in consolidated assets under administration¹ and are members of the Power Financial Corporation group of companies.

Irish Life delivers innovative solutions for personal and corporate customers, backed by the highest standards of service. And as part of Great-West Lifeco, we have access to experience and expertise on a global scale, so we can continuously enhance our leading range of services and solutions.
1. As at 31 December 2021

About Centric Health

Centric Health was founded in Ireland in 2003 by Dr Maurice Cox and Dr Ray Power.  Today, with a staff in excess of 1,000, it has integrated its services in five key areas to best serve the 500,000+ patients that pass through its doors each year in Ireland.  Centric Health provides Primary Healthcare GP in over 68 primary care centres across Ireland.  Centric Health acts as a catalyst to develop centralised group practices, a National HSE Primary Care Strategy, by working with and bringing together established GPs in a local community.