Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 October 2016
213. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Health the operating hours for SouthDoc in the Ballylongford area; the reason it does not operate until 8 a.m., as advertised (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31185/16]
View answerGeneral Practitioners contracted under the General Medical Services Scheme must make suitable arrangements to enable contact to be made with them, or a locum/deputy, for emergencies outside normal practice hours. While there is no obligation on GPs to participate in GP out-of-hours cooperatives as a means of meeting the contractual requirement, such services have been developed and expanded over time and are now an essential part of our primary care services helping to ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, urgent care needs are met in the primary care setting.
As the Deputy's queries on the operating hours of SouthDoc relate to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
