Dr. Edel McGinnity:

It is important to note that while we are looking for more resources, we are actually looking for our patients to have the same access as everybody else. For that to happen there needs to be a slightly different approach to those patients. In our experience it is true that there is resistance to primary care teams, but not as much in areas of disadvantage because we see the importance of the teams. General practice is a very broad church. There are many different models and ways of doing it but there is a lot of evidence to support the argument that GPs are more likely to integrate with primary care teams in these areas. There should be special measures for these areas, a bit like the DEIS schools system in education, to bring everybody up to the same level.

With regard to the diagnostics, there is a possibility of my local hospital, Connolly Hospital, setting up a diagnostic unit in one of the primary care centres in our area. I am in favour of anything that increases my patients' access. However, it does not have to be in a primary care centre. As Deputy O'Connell has said, if it was ring-fenced, why not just keep it in Connolly Hospital and make sure there are slots dedicated for GPs and an X-ray room that only takes GP referrals.