Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for raising this important issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. The Government is aware of the workforce issues facing general practice in Ireland and that Covid-19 has made accessing GP and GP out-of-hours services more difficult. I acknowledge the continued dedication of GPs towards their patients during this unprecedented time.

I can assure the Deputies that efforts continue to develop and maintain GP capacity throughout the country and that progress is being made. As Deputies noted, GP out-of-hours services for Cork and Kerry are provided by SouthDoc, a private organisation with more than 20 health centres located across the two counties. In March, the board of directors of SouthDoc informed the HSE of their decision to implement plans to deal with the serious challenges being posed by the progression of Covid-19. The measures, which became operational on 14 March 2020, were put in place to protect the patients and staff in the out-of-hours setting.

In accordance with public health guidance, patient in-person contact with GPs surgeries and out-of-hours services has been curtailed as much as possible to help prevent the spread of the virus. Medical advice is provided over the phone where appropriate, and only patients who are clinically assessed as requiring a face-to-face consultation with a doctor are referred for an appointment.

Further to this, the board of directors of SouthDoc made the decision to close a number of health centres. In recognition of the impact of Covid-19 on general practice and to ensure that GPs continue to provide essential services, a package of measures to support general practice was introduced from mid-March. Likewise, a grant payment for GP out-of-hours service providers was also introduced from March, to support the continued provision of out-of-hours services.

The HSE has informed me that in the period following the closure of certain service locations, the board of directors and medical directors of SouthDoc have regularly reviewed their contingency service plans, and the closed health centres have been reopened on a phased basis. All centres in Cork city and county, with the exception of Blackpool for north Cork city, have now reopened. The centre in Fermoy was reopened on 10 June.

The HSE is in continued discussions with SouthDoc on how its service will be delivered in the weeks and months ahead and has requested that the reopening of the Blackpool centre be prioritised. SouthDoc has assured the HSE that every possible effort has been made and will continue to be made to avoid or minimise any impact on patients, and has informed the HSE that plans are being prepared for the reinstatement of services at the Blackpool centre, the only centre that remains closed.

There are no plans at present to change the provision of SouthDoc out-of-hours services in Fermoy and Mitchelstown. Any changes to the current service provision in any treatment centre would be subject to discussion with and approval by the HSE Cork-Kerry community healthcare chief officer.

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