Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Government is committed to ensuring that patients throughout the country continue to have access to GP services, especially in remote rural areas, and that general practice is sustainable in such areas in future. It is imperative that services meet patient needs, that existing GP services are maintained and that general practice remains an attractive career option for newly-qualified GPs.

Under the current General Medical Services contract, GPs who practise in remote rural areas of low population qualify for special rural practice concessions, including an annual rural practice allowance of a little over €16,200, subsidies towards the employment of certain practice staff at the maximum applicable rate, regardless of the size of the patient panel, and the maximum applicable contribution towards locum costs for periods of leave.

Where a GP holds the allowance but the circumstances underpinning it change, the GP retains the allowance while he or she continues to practise in that location. When a new GP commences in the area, the application for the allowance is considered afresh by the HSE.

The HSE has recently reviewed its guidelines for dealing with applications for a rural practice allowance.

The purpose of the new guidance is to ensure consistency, transparency and fairness in decision making in respect of the relevant discretionary provisions of the GMS contract pertaining to the granting or otherwise of the allowance to new applicants. The new guidance does not affect existing holders of the allowance.

The HSE, Department of Health and Irish Medical Organisation are engaged in a comprehensive review of the GMS and other publicly funded health sector contracts involving GPs. Among the many topics being considered under this review process is the issue of supports for general practice, especially in remote rural areas. I welcome the engagement which is taking place with a view to achieving revised and modernised contractual arrangements which support the sustainable delivery of enhanced general practitioner services in local communities.

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