Dr. Tony Cox:

Addressing the number of GPs is a major priority for us. We have taken 194 young doctors into the four-year GP training programme. We had aimed to take in more than 200 and the ultimate aim in the next one to two years is to take in up to 240 but even if we had 240 doctors in training, that would just about address the turnover. GPs are getting a little older and it is becoming increasingly more challenging to encourage younger GPs to stay in general practice or to work in general practice full-time. They do not seem to like the idea of working in isolated, single-handed practices. Only 2% of them in a recent survey said that this is what they wanted to do.

They like to have a blended career where they work in hospitals and universities as well as in general practice. That is a challenge to try to get the number in training up to where it needs to be. We need approximately 5,000 GPs in the GMS. We do not have that; we have approximately 3,500. We have approximately 1,800 practice nurses but we need at least 4,000 and perhaps even 5,000 because a practice nurse is an essential part of the community care team and the practice team.

Reference was made to chronic disease management and asthma, in particular. There is a programme of care for children aged zero to six but that is just a GP visit card that entitles them to the services of a doctor. It does not entitle them to other services outside that. A GP visit card is a bit of a joke in terms of accessing all the services that are needed and to which everyone should have access. That is something we are concerned about. We are trying to set up a practice nurse training programme to encourage more to come into the service and we are trying to establish that with an academic body in Dublin. We approached Sláintecare and the HSE for support on that. We are trying to grow our GP numbers and practice nurse numbers because they are an essential part of the healthcare provision in the community.

As members will probably be aware, there will be a chronic disease management programme for the older age group starting next year. There was a recent agreement in that regard. That is due to launch early in the new year. It is chronic disease management for respiratory disease in general, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It will start with the over-75s and as the years go by, that will be extended to the lower age groups. The next group will be those aged between 65 and 74 and so on.