Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
1677. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health the estimated full-year cost of restoring distance coding and increasing the rural practice allowance to amounts (details supplied), in tabular form. [34070/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince 2009, a number of reductions have been applied under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2009 (FEMPI) to the fees and allowances paid to healthcare professionals, including GPs who provide services under the GMS scheme.
The “distance code” was removed as a factor in calculating GP fees and allowances in 2010 under FEMPI. Certain fees payable to GPs such as capitation and out of hours fees varied according to a patient's age, gender and distance of their residence from the GP's surgery.
To accurately cost a reinstatement of the previous "distance code" arrangement would require a detailed exercise by the HSE, which would involve establishing a database for the current population of GMS patients containing their age, gender and distance of their residence from their GP's surgery. As the HSE does not maintain such a database, it is not possible to provide a cost estimate in respect of this element of the Deputy's question.
Regulations were signed on 5 May 2016 which provide for the introduction of the new Rural Practice Support Framework (RPSF), which includes improved qualifying criteria for rural support and an increase in the financial allowance from €16,216.07 to €20,000 per annum.
Under this Framework, if two practice units are providing general practitioner services in the same qualifying area, both practices may qualify for a modified allowance of €10,000. GPs holding a permanent GMS contract who received the Rural Practice Allowance of €16,216.07 immediately prior to the introduction of the new Regulations who do not meet the new qualifying criteria continue to receive the payment on a personal basis, provided they retain their contractual commitment to the remote rural area.
As at 1 July 2018, there are 257 practice units in receipt of rural supports under the RPSF. 179 practices receive the full financial allowance of €20,000 and 22 practices receive the modified allowance of €10,000.
The estimated full year costs of increasing the existing allowance to the amounts specified by the Deputy, and the corresponding modified allowance to half of these amounts, based on the current number of GPs qualifying for allowances under the RPSF, are set out in the table below. Any increase in the financial allowance under the new RPSF would only apply to those practices that qualify under the new criteria, therefore these costings have excluded the 56 GPs who currently receive the old financial allowance of €16,216.07.
Estimated costs of increasing the current full allowance available under the Rural Practice Support Framework to the amounts specified by the Deputy, and the current modified allowance to half of these amounts
|
Estimated costs |
Amount |
|
Increasing Allowance to €21,000 and Modified Allowance to €10,500 |
€ 190,000 |
|
Increasing Allowance to €22,000 and Modified Allowance to €11,000 |
€ 380,000 |
|
Increasing Allowance to €23,000 and Modified Allowance to €11,500 |
€ 570,000 |
|
Increasing Allowance to €24,000 and Modified Allowance to €12,000 |
€ 760,000 |
|
Increasing Allowance to €25,000 and Modified Allowance to €12,500 |
€ 950,000 |
|
Increasing Allowance to €26,000 and Modified Allowance to €13,000 |
€ 1,140,000 |
|
Increasing Allowance to €27,000 and Modified Allowance to €13,500 |
€ 1,330,000 |
|
Increasing Allowance to €28,000 and Modified Allowance to €14,000 |
€ 1,520,000 |
|
Increasing Allowance to €29,000 and Modified Allowance to €14,500 |
€ 1,710,000 |
|
Increasing Allowance to €30,000 and Modified Allowance to €15,000 |
€ 1,900,000 |
