Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I apologise to Deputy McNamara on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar, who is unavoidably absent today. However, I am happy to take this important matter on the Minister's behalf.

Shannondoc is a GP co-operative funded by the HSE. It provides a valuable urgent out-of-hours service to the population in the mid-west region. Operating out of 11 treatment centres, spread across the region and a fleet of mobile doctors, Shannondoc had 110,000 patient contacts last year, with 90,000 receiving treatment. At the heart of the operation is the call centre. Based in St. Camillus' Hospital, the centre processes all patient calls, with nurses assessing and managing concerns or directing patients, where necessary, to a treatment centre or assigning a home GP visit. It is acknowledged that Shannondoc is facing a resource challenge in relation to the availability of doctors, especially in west and north Clare, as indicated at the start of the summer period.

A review of the out-of-hours service has commenced to ensure that a safe and appropriate GP out-of-hours service continues to be available to all people living in the mid-west region, which can be accessed as and when needed. In the meantime, the HSE has advised that Shannondoc is providing the same service and is continuing its consultation with GPs in County Clare to meet the current service needs. The HSE remains focused on ensuring out-of-hours service will continue to be delivered for all throughout the country.

In relation to the Shannon treatment centre, Shannondoc has confirmed that this will not be closing. In addition, there has been no diminution in the level of service being provided at the Shannon centre. When required, patients will be seen at the centre. Last week, 112 patients attended the Shannon centre for treatment. Patients who require treatment at the centre are assigned appointments during the time when the doctor is on-site. There are occasions when the Shannon centre augments the busy Ennis centre. Normally at weekends, the Shannon treatment centre experiences a low level of patient appointments between the hours of 9 p.m. and midnight - averaging two per night, compared with the higher throughput at the Ennis centre. When there are no further scheduled appointments at Shannon, one of its GPs relocates to Ennis during those hours. However, should an appointment be required at the Shannon centre, and if the patient is unable to travel to Ennis, a GP will travel back to Shannon to ensure the patient receives an appropriate service. This system has been in place since 22 September 2015 and has run seamlessly. House calls continue to be provided in the Shannon area as normal. This level of co-operation between treatment centres allows Shannondoc to provide a more effective service to the patients in the mid-west region while making the most effective use of its resources.

The HSE has stated that Shannondoc wishes to reassure the Clare community and the people in the mid-west that they will continue to be able to access and receive a GP out-of-hours service in the area.

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