Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 January 2024
60. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the Strategic Review of General Practice; if he will outline the key stakeholders; when he expects the review to conclude considering the many issues facing GP practice and GP capacity at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1979/24]
View answerThe Strategic Review of General Practice commenced last year and is currently underway. My Department are leading the review with HSE support and input from key stakeholders. As per the terms of reference, the key areas that will be examined are GP training, GP capacity, the eHealth agenda, Out of Hours reform, and the support model for General Practice. Key stakeholders include GP representative and training organisations, representatives of other healthcare professions, and representatives of other organisations actively engaged with general practice. Further information on the review is available from the Department's website.
The review is to be completed this year. Following it's completion a paper is to be presented to me outlining the findings of the review and setting out recommended actions to respond to the identified findings.
It is worth noting that the Government has undertaken measures to increase GP capacity and improved access to services. Increased annual investment of over €211 million was provided for under the 2019 GP Agreement, providing for increased GP fees, supports and new services. A further €30 million has been provided for under the GP Agreement 2023 for practice supports to expand and retain practice staff. The annual intake of doctors into the GP training programme has been increased by 80% from 2015 to 2023; there were 286 new entrants to GP training in 2023 and it is planned to increase the number of places for new entrants to 350 for this year. Furthermore, the joint HSE ICGP non-EU Rural GP Programme commenced last year with the intention of bring up to 100 non-EU GPs to Ireland in 2023, and it is planned to bring up to 250 more non-EU GPs here by the end of this year.
