Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 November 2021
493. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health the guidelines in place for persons trying to access general practitioner appointments for their children who may have respiratory symptoms (details supplied); if it is a national directive that general practitioners are no longer carrying out consultations over the phone; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55509/21]
View answerThe HSE advises parents and guardians to contact their GP if their child is unwell and they are worried about them.
The HSE Guidance on Managing Risk of Transmission of Respiratory Viruses Including COVID-19 in General Practice advises that the level of infection prevention and control precautions required in the healthcare setting are generally the same for children and adults in most contexts but taking account of the needs of the child.
General practice has continued to operate during the Covid-19 public health emergency and GPs see patients face to face where necessary, albeit with infection-control measures in place. In response to the pandemic, it has been necessary for GPs to triage patient in-person contact with GP surgeries as much as possible, to help prevent the spread of the virus and for the protection of patients and staff. GPs are performing assessments over the phone to determine if a patient needs to attend the surgery. Where clinically indicated, the GP will arrange an appointment to see the patient in the surgery.
GPs continue to carry out telephone and face to face consultations in line with their clinical judgement. No directive has issued from either the Department of Health or the HSE on this matter. It is expected that normal clinical practice should be accessible to all patients, in line with normal risk assessment procedures.
