Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 March 2022
743. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Health the detail of his plans to provide locum cover for rural based general practitioners to cover for unavoidable absences; if he is developing a plan to establish a national locum register or regional register of available general practitioners as has been developed to cover absent teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16486/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraGPs are private practitioners, most of whom hold a GMS (General Medical Services) contract with the HSE to provide services without charge to patients who hold a medical card or a GP visit card. GPs are reimbursed by the HSE for the provision of those services primarily on a capitation basis, with a range of additional support payments and fees for specific items of service.
GPs contracted under the GMS scheme with a panel size of 100 patients or more receive a contribution towards the cost of securing locum cover for certain types of leave, including annual leave, sick leave, maternity/paternity leave, adoptive leave, study leave, and Covid-19 leave. Where a GMS GP has difficulty in securing locum cover where it is required, the relevant HSE Community Health Organisation will assist the GP in providing locum cover where possible.
The 2019 GP Agreement includes a commitment to undertake a strategic review of GP services within the lifetime of the Agreement, to examine how best to ensure the provision of GP services in Ireland for the future. The Government is open to considering other options of support for general practice as part of the strategic review. The outcome of this review will inform future contractual changes, with preparatory work for the review having begun this year.
