La Health and Consumer Affairs Minister, Rocío Hernández, has participated in the CIRCE-JA Policy Dialogue at the European Committee of the Regions in Brussels. There she stated that «strengthening Primary Care is investing in a more equitable, resilient, and innovative model.» In this way, Hernández has emphasized the fundamental role of Primary Care as the backbone of Andalusia’s public health system and highlighted the leadership of the autonomous community in the European Joint Action CIRCE-JA. During her intervention, Hernández emphasized Andalusia’s commitment to a public, universal, and free healthcare model that guarantees «accessibility, equity, and continuity» in citizen care. Members of the European Commission, WHO-Europe, and the European Committee of the Regions also participated.
In this context, the minister emphasized Andalusia’s leadership in Europe through the Joint Action CIRCE-JA (Joint Action on Transfer of Best Practices in Primary Care). The Andalusian Health Service (SAS), together with the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs and with the support of the Progress and Health Foundation, coordinates this initiative co-financed by the EU4Health program of the European Commission. This project, which runs from February 2023 to November 2026, aims at transferring and implementing six best practices in Primary Care among the EU Member States.
This leadership in CIRCE-JA is demonstrated in the coordination of an international consortium comprising 48 organizations from 14 European countries. Andalusia assumes not only the leadership of the management and coordination of the action, but also the corresponding to the transfer process of the best practices. One of the most significant contributions of the SAS is the contribution of its own integrated care model for complex chronic patients through Personalized Action Plans (PAP).
This model, widely implemented in the community, focuses on personalized care, multidisciplinary work, and coordination between different levels of care. This has led to its recognition for its ability to improve patients’ quality of life and optimize healthcare resources.
The implementation of this Andalusian best practice is being carried out in 12 locations, representing a considerable challenge in healthcare, scientific, and technical management, adapting to the peculiarities of each healthcare system. To facilitate this transfer, the SAS has organized study visits and training sessions with professionals from all implementation sites, allowing them to firsthand experience the operation of the Andalusian model in health centers such as Cisneo Alto in Seville. These activities promote a rich exchange of knowledge and experiences, strengthening international cooperation in the field of Primary Care.
Furthermore, Andalusia has coordinated the ‘kick-off meeting’ of the joint action in Seville and the first two meetings of the CIRCE-JA consortium, held in Warsaw (Poland) and Ljubljana (Slovenia). In these meetings, key aspects such as the evaluation of implementation, sustainability of transferred practices, and project communication and dissemination strategies have been addressed, with the active participation of Andalusian professionals and partner entities «consolidating Andalusia’s commitment to the continuous improvement of primary care in Europe,» she said. Similarly, she stated that «Andalusia’s leadership in CIRCE-JA reflects the commitment of the autonomous community to innovation, healthcare quality, and international collaboration.»
The minister emphasized that «talking about Primary Care today is talking about the heart of our healthcare system, where a good part of the health and well-being of our communities is decided, in that first accessible, close, human, and continuous contact.» In this sense, she stated that «strengthening Primary Care is not just a technical decision, it is a deeply political and social decision, with direct effects on the equity, territorial cohesion, and sustainability of our healthcare system.»
In this regard, she highlighted that Andalusia is working «towards the reduction of social and gender inequalities in health, through actions such as redirecting healthcare towards issues where there is evidence of social inequalities and improving access to healthcare and preventive services for vulnerable social groups.» She also addressed Primary Care in rural and semi-urban areas and the use of Mobile Health Units, which bring medical care closer to the most remote population centers, guaranteeing homogeneous response times.
Likewise, she highlighted other measures and actions put in place such as equitable access to new technologies and telematic access to health services, paying special attention to the digital training of the entire population. Furthermore, a health assets model with an equitable approach is promoted, identifying and enhancing accessible community resources, and strengthening coordination with social services for a comprehensive approach to people’s needs.
The minister also addressed R&D innovation and digital health tools. In this way, she highlighted the historic opportunity to expand telemedicine, promote remote monitoring of chronic diseases, and use new digital tools to support shared decision-making and triage.
Hernández emphasized that «there is no Primary Care without motivated, well-trained, and equitably distributed professionals,» emphasizing that the participation and shared responsibility of professionals in clinical, organizational, and management decision-making are crucial, as well as the promotion of joint participation frameworks between professionals and citizens.
The minister highlighted that health is built beyond consultations and that actions such as the Local Health Action Network (RELAS) demonstrate the potential of an active and informed citizenry. Thus, the goal is to expand these programs and incorporate health prevention and promotion as an inseparable part of daily work in Primary Care, reclaiming its role as a social actor capable of engaging with the environment and mobilizing local resources.
Throughout the Policy Dialogue, the works in the areas of methodology and evaluation, training, implementation process, and sustainability of the joint action CIRCE-JA have been presented. Also, the challenges in implementing the best practices being transferred in CIRCE-JA, in addition to the Andalusian one, have been discussed. Specifically, those related to Integrated Health Partnerships in the French-speaking region of Belgium (Wallonia), Health Promotion Centers in Slovenia, reduction of low-value practices in Catalonia, health action for at-risk children and violence in adults in Portugal, as well as home telemonitoring in chronic diseases in Galicia.