Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State and thank the Office of the Cathaoirleach for choosing this Commencement matter. It is regrettable there is no Minister or Minister of State here from the Department of Health. I have raised this matter on at least two occasions going back to 2020 and 2021. It relates to the lack of cover by Westdoc for Moycullen- and Oughterard-based GPs. As the Minister of State will be aware, out-of-hour services are very important, and I know he will face similar situations in his part of the world.

Westdoc is very important in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon for providing out-of-hours cover and easing the pressure on GPs by making it more attractive for GPs to fill positions. A vacancy in Oughterard has not been filled for a number of years and I believe that, if Westdoc cover were part of the package, that position would be more attractive for a GP to take up. The importance of out-of-hours services relates to patient safety and ensuring patients have the best cover they need. Westdoc is a company organised by GPs in Galway city. I hope that over the next period those GPs can, with funding from the HSE, provide full Westdoc cover.

I appreciate that, since I raised the matter previously, funding has been provided for an improved and enhanced service in the Moycullen-Oughterard area via the red-eye service, or cover from 12 midnight to 8 a.m., which is certainly an improvement. Nevertheless, of course, from closing time at 6 p.m. to 12 midnight, cover still has to be provided by locally based GPs in Moycullen and Oughterard, including Rosscahill and Caladh na Muc.

I call on the Department of Health to ensure that we get a full integration of Westdoc services in Moycullen and Oughterard. That is the least the denizens of that area deserve. There are two issues, namely, whether funding is provided and whether there is a willingness among city-based GPs to provide that cover. In case they think we are the wild west or something, we are not. We are very decent people and, with the new eircodes we have, it is now much easier to find rural residences. I urge the city-based GPs to engage with the HSE and I urge the HSE to provide the cover necessary to provide Westdoc services in Moycullen, Rosscahill and Oughterard.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator for raising this very important issue. I do not doubt the enhanced quality of life that can be enjoyed by living or working in rural parts of Galway. The Government is committed to enhancing primary healthcare services throughout the country, including out-of-hours GP services. The development of primary care is central to the Government’s objective of delivering a high-quality, integrated and cost-effective health service. As the Senator will be aware, GPs contracted under the general medical services scheme are required by their contract to make suitable arrangements to enable contact to be made with them, or with a locum or a deputy, for emergencies outside of normal practice hours.

While there is no obligation on GPs to participate in GP out-of-hours co-operatives as a means of meeting the contractual requirement, such services facilitate the provision of GP services outside of normal surgery hours and help spread the burden of this provision. Out-of-hours GP services for counties Galway, Mayo and Roscommon are largely provided by the Westdoc co-operative, which is owned and managed by a group of participating GPs. The HSE provides substantial funding to support out-of-hours co-operatives, through service level arrangements, to cover certain costs associated with, for example, call centres, treatment centres, triage nurses and receptionists. Through this arrangement, HSE community healthcare organisation, CHO, west provides annual funding of approximately €4 million to Westdoc to support the delivery of its out-of-hours GP service. This helps ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, urgent care needs are met in the primary care setting.

In addition to the funding allocated through the service level arrangement, CHO west was allocated funding of €536,000 in the current year from the HSE at national level for the expansion of the Westdoc service to GPs in Moycullen and Oughterard. Full nurse triage and doctor red-eye cover from 12 midnight to 8 a.m., as the Senator outlined, is currently in place. Management in Westdoc, in conjunction with the GP members of Westdoc, are currently considering the options available to expand this cover so as to have the GPs concerned become full members of Westdoc. The outcome of these discussions is expected towards the end of this year.

The Government is committed to ensuring patients throughout the country will continue to have access to GP services, including out-of-hours services. The Department and the HSE have commenced a strategic review of general practice. The review, with input from key stakeholders, will examine the broad range of issues affecting general practice, including out-of-hours services, and will set out the measures necessary to deliver a more sustainable general practice.

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for the reply on behalf of the Department of Health. As I said, it is certainly welcome that the Westdoc service has been expanded to cover the critical 12 midnight to 8 a.m. period and I welcome also the funding that was provided in this year's budget. Since I first raised the issue in 2020, there have been improvements in the service, and I want that to be concluded such that we will get full Westdoc cover.I welcome the fact there is engagement between the HSE, the management of Westdoc and GPs locally. I hope they can come to an agreement, with funding from the HSE, to provide full Westdoc cover for Moycullen, Roscahill and Oughterard. As I said, that would be very welcome with regard to the integration of services, taking the pressure off locally based GPs and making the position of GPs in these areas more attractive where vacancies arise, such as at present in Oughterard.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I assure the Senator that quality and patient safety in the delivery of out-of-hours GP care remain paramount for the HSE and the Government. The HSE engages with out-of-hours services throughout the country and provides significant financial support towards service delivery. Additional funding was allocated this year to the HSE's community healthcare organisation, CHO, area west to expand the Westdoc service to GPs in Moycullen and Oughterard. The management of Westdoc is currently considering the options available to it so the GPs concerned can become full members of Westdoc. The outcome of these discussions is awaited. As the Senator outlined, progress has been made on this in recent years since he first raised it. I look forward to a positive conclusion to those ongoing negotiations that will lead to even better services for the people of the Moycullen and Oughterard areas.