Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 October 2010
109 Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding the regulation of the quality of the physical standard of general practitioners’ surgeries and associated waiting areas. [38342/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Form of Agreement with General Practitioners (GPs) for the provision of services under the General Medical Services (GMS) contract outlines the minimum standards required in terms of practice facilities. This includes:
(a) A waiting room with a reasonable standard of comfort and hygiene, sufficient in size to accommodate the normal demands of the practice with adequate seating accommodation.
(b) A surgery sufficient in size for the requirements of normal general practice, with appropriate facilities.
While the contract sets a minimum standard to be observed by contractors, the standard of practice premises in general has improved considerably since the contract was introduced, through investment in practice infrastructure. There is also a requirement for GP surgeries to comply with statutory obligations in the area of planning permission and fire certification in respect of the defined usage. The surgeries are also obliged to comply with Building Regulations governing a wide range of construction and operational matters. Compliance with the Disability Act in the context of access and functional operation of premises is also required.
There has also been significant investment in enhancing treatment facilities for GP out-of-hours services over the past number of years. The commitment to continuously improve the quality of primary care facilities is also very much in evidence in the new primary care centres, which are being developed throughout the country as part of the development and roll out of primary care teams.
