Emer Higgins
Question:564. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health the reason the HSE no longer helps people find a GP who accepts medical card patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44040/23]
View answerDáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 October 2023
564. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health the reason the HSE no longer helps people find a GP who accepts medical card patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44040/23]
View answer576. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health to outline the rationale behind the decision to restrict or cap the number of assigned patients each GP has to take on; the current cap for each GP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44079/23]
View answer577. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health to outline the reason for removing the obligation on GPs to take patients assigned by the HSE; the consultation, if any, that was undertaken with community-based organisations who provide support and care to vulnerable persons seeking access to healthcare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44080/23]
View answer578. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health to confirm what is meant by "limited ability to assign a GP providing GP visit card/medical card services", further to correspondence received at my office (details supplied). [44092/23]
View answer579. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health to confirm the arrangements that are currently in place to assign a GP to persons holding a GMS or GP only card who have tried unsuccessfully to access three GPs in their area and cannot find a GP to accept them. [44093/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 564 and 576 to 579, inclusive, together.
Patient choice of doctor is a bedrock principle of the GMS Scheme for medical card and GP visit card holders. For the vast majority of individuals concerned their choice of doctor is accommodated and they are registered with their GMS GP of choice. In 2022 (last full year data available) out of a total of about 348,000 individuals who were approved for either a GP Visit Card or Medical Card, 3,927 individuals were unable to secure placement with their doctor of choice, or 1.1% of the total. In addition, 3,701 existing GMS patients were reassigned following a change in their place of residence.
For the small number of individuals unable to locate a GP themselves, the long standing process whereby the HSE may assign an eligible person to a GP’s GMS panel remains in place, in accordance with the GMS contract. Where a patient who holds a medical card or GP visit card experiences difficulty in finding a GP to accept them as a patient, the person concerned having unsuccessfully applied to at least three GPs in the area (or fewer if there are fewer GPs in the area) can apply to the HSE National Medical Card Unit which has the power to assign that person to a GP's GMS patient list.
The GP Agreement 2023, which provides for the expansion of GP care without charges to all children under 8 years and to those who earn up to the median household income, does contain arrangements in relation to the assignment of card holders/applicants to GP GMS panels. However, these arrangements do not prevent the assignment of patients and rather are in place to help the equitable distribution of assigned patients across the panels of participating GPs. Details of the arrangements, which includes the number of permitted assignments per individual GP by GMS panel size, are set out in the Agreement which is available on the website of my Department.
In addition, as per the Agreement, a joint HSE and Irish Medical Organisation working group is being established to review the operation of the patient assignment protocol with a view to ensuring that it is framed and operating in a fair, patient- and GP-centred manner.