Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

A core tenet of Government policy is the development of primary care, which is central to the Government's objective of delivering a high-quality, integrated and cost effective health service. The aim is to develop a new modernised GP contract which will facilitate the shift within the health service away from hospital services towards an integrated primary care service in order to deliver better care close to home in communities across the country.

I want to see a new contract which has a population health focus, providing in particular for health promotion and disease prevention and for the structured ongoing care of chronic conditions. It should be flexible and be able to respond to the changing nature of the GP workforce. It should also include provisions for service quality and standards, performance, accountability and transparency. These are realities in today’s world which must be accommodated. I think this will be key in making general practice a more attractive career.

Since 2015, negotiations have resulted in a number of service developments, including the provision of free GP care to under sixes, over 70s, the introduction of a diabetes cycle of care for adult general medical services patients with type 2 diabetes, and enhanced supports for rural GPs. The next phase of engagement with GP representatives is under way. The discussions taking place are wide-ranging and ambitious in their scope. While there will be challenges for all parties involved, I am hopeful that with the goodwill and co-operation of all parties, significant progress can be made in these discussions in the months ahead. I made it clear around budget time, as did the GP organisations, that this body of work was always going to take the overwhelming bulk of 2017. It is a very substantive body of work. I hope that everyone will remain focused on our common goal of putting suitable new arrangements in place that will work for patients, for GPs and for other health care providers in primary care.

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