Mr. Val Moran:

The GPs who work within and who are members of the co-ops are the ones who need to be supported. The GMS contract, which is what every GP works under, is a 24-7 contract and the out-of-hours obligation in that is discharged through the out-of-hours service. Sometimes, the GP will provide a shift but they are also in many cases paying for the red-eye shift, so they pay an amount to the co-op to hire a locum doctor to cover that shift. Obviously, we cannot have somebody working 24 hours a day so a locum doctor covers the red-eye shifts on a rota basis. However, that is a significant cost to those GPs. If there is something to be addressed, it is that there should be an overall review of the out-of-hours situation generally because it is not equitable across the country. There may be a very good set-up in Shannon or in County Clare but there may be a different set-up in another part of the country as they are all on different systems. A review would be timely from the GP point of view to ensure the rosters are equitable. The supports should go to the individual GPs who are supporting the co-ops and who are members of the co-ops. They are paying for the red-eye shifts in many cases and it is a cost to the practice for them to provide this cover.