Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 March 2022
775. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he has arranged for the Department to establish a high-level working group as proposed by a group (details supplied) which would include all of the relevant stakeholders in order to develop a clear programme of action for the expansion of primary healthcare and community care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11628/22]
View answerGeneral practice plays a central role in the delivery of healthcare, and it is essential that we continue to attract, retain, and develop the best staff possible to deliver those services. This includes all staff in general practice, GPs themselves, practice nurses and other practice staff.
The Government is aware of the workforce issues currently facing general practice and has committed to providing significant additional resources to general practice to help to meet those challenges. We are working to ensure patients across the country continue to have access to GP services and that general practice is sustainable in all areas into the future.
Several efforts to increase the number of practising GPs have been undertaken in recent years. The number of entrants to GP training has increased from 120 in 2009 to 233 in 2021, with further increases planned. Changes have been made to the entry provisions to the GMS scheme to facilitate more flexible/shared GMS contracts, and to the retirement provisions for GPs under the GMS scheme. An enhanced supports package for rural GP practices was also introduced.
Recent developments in relation to general practice, in particular the 2019 Agreement on Contractual Reform and Service Development, have helped to re-establish general practice in Ireland as an attractive career choice. The additional investment, which will amount to €210 million annually once the Agreement is fully implemented, provides for an increase in capitation fees, improved maternity and paternity arrangements as well as enhanced supports for rural practices. In addition, targeted funding of €2 million will also be set aside to provide additional support to practices in deprived urban areas.
The involvement of stakeholders in considerations of how best to ensure that general practice can continue to deliver a high-quality, accessible, and sustainable service to patients will be essential. The ICGP has made and will continue to make a vital contribution to the delivery of general practice in this country, and my Department has a strong record of working with them.
Under the 2019 Agreement with GPs, we plan to undertake a strategic review of general practice. Preparatory work has commenced on this, and I have asked officials to provide me with a proposal for taking the substantive work forward before the end of this quarter. I anticipated that the ICGP will have an important contribution to make to that review.
