Gay Mitchell
Question:231 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will make a statement on the working hours for doctors (details supplied); and if he will set out his position on the matter. [25219/00]
Written Answers. - Doctors' Working Hours.
From the details supplied this question relates to contracted general practitioners under the GMS scheme. As per the contract, a contracted general practitioner is required to be routinely available for consultation for a total of 40 hours per week Subject to the agreement with the health board, the doctor concerned enjoys considerable scope in choosing the hours of his-her scheduled surgeries. The contracted doctor is also required to make suitable arrangements to enable contact to be made with him-her or a locum/deputy outside normal hours for urgent cases. GMS scheme doctors are free to make their own rota/locum arrangements. Rotas are usually organised by individual contracted general practitioners on a local and mutually agreed basis between colleagues.
In order to further develop the best possible general practitioner service and to assist general practitioners in planning out of hours arrangements my Department is committed to developing structured out of hours general practitioner co-operatives which are already being piloted in the SEHB and NEHB areas.