Vol. 433 No. 7
43 Mr. Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if general practice units have been set up in each health board area; the scheme of training available for those participating in the scheme; and the consequences of such a scheme for in-patient waiting lists.
All health boards have now established general practice units. The Southern Health Board has established its units for Cork city and county and is in the process of setting up an interview board to examine candidates for the GP unit in Kerry. The board hopes to have this unit established shortly.
These units are essentially concerned with the raising of standards in general practice and all general practitioners recruited to support this objective have already extensive experience in that service. Some additional training may be required, however, and individual boards are at the moment assessing the position with a view to meeting these needs.
One of the functions of the GP unit will be to facilitate an improvement in the interface between general practice and other health services, particularly hospital services. In examining the interface between general practice and the hospital sector the unit will be identifying opportunities to extend the services of general practitioners where this can be achieved more cost effectively than at present. Where such an opportunity can appropriately be pursued it will reduce pressure on hospital facilities and hopefully reduce waiting lists for certain procedures.
