Brian Stanley
Question:11. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Health the number of GPs that are directly employed by the HSE; and what steps that are being taken to increase this. [17838/23]
View answerThursday, 20 April 2023
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Written answers
The Irish model of general practice is based on private practice, and all GPs providing GP services in Ireland currently are private practitioners. The HSE does not directly employ GPs for the provision of GP services.
There are approximately three and a half thousand GPs working in Ireland at the moment. Of these, over 2,500 GPs hold a General Medical Scheme (GMS) contract with the HSE to provide services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders. More than 500 further GPs hold contracts with the HSE other than a GMS contract, such as for screening services or vaccinations. About a further 500 GPs work entirely privately, many of these working as locums to provide support to other GPs.
I recognise that there are particular challenges accessing GPs in some parts of the country, often in rural or more deprived areas. While the HSE does not currently directly employ GPs to provide services in these areas, I am open to the looking at whether this would be a solution to access issues.
I attended the IMO conference last weekend and had useful engagements on ideas of how to improve the number of GPs working in Ireland, and my Department and the HSE are engaged with them, with the ICGP, and with other stakeholders to identify short and longer-term solutions.
In the longer-term, we are significantly increasing the number of GP training places, which more than doubled in the ten years to 2022 and will triple to over 350 by 2026. The HSE is also working with the ICGP on a programme to bring in 100 non-EU GPs and allow them to take on GMS contracts after a two-year training period (the normal training period is four years). We are also increasing support for training nurses to increase the supply of practice nurses available.
In cooperation with all of those engaged on general practice, we will find the solutions in the coming years to providing general practice on a basis that meets patient demand and is sustainable for GPs providing services.