Violet-Anne Wynne
Question:558. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health his views on the success or otherwise of an agreement (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46419/23]
View answerTuesday, 24 October 2023
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General Practitioners that hold GMS contracts for the provision of services to medical card and GP visit card holders, are required under their contract to make suitable arrangements for emergencies outside normal practice hours.
Over 2,500 GPs currently hold a GMS contract, and while they are not obliged to, most GPs participate in GP Out of Hours co-operatives to meet their outside of practice hours service requirements. A robust GP Out of Hours services ensures that, as much as possible, urgent care needs are met in the community and not in a hospital setting.
The ShannonDoc co-operative provides GP out of hours services for Limerick, North Tipperary and Clare. As with the other GP out of hours co-operatives, Shannondoc is a private organisation. However, the HSE provides significant funding to support out of hours co-operative services through service level agreements, with ShannonDoc having received almost exactly €5 million in HSE funding in 2022.
In relation to the specifics of the Service Level Agreement with Shannondoc, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.