Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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104. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding the provision of a new general practitioner services contract in view of the difficulty in sourcing general practitioners in rural parts of the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43230/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The development of primary care is central to the Government's objective to deliver a high-quality, integrated and cost effective health service. The Programme for Government and Sláintecare commit to shifting the model of healthcare towards a more comprehensive and accessible primary care service in order to deliver better care close to home in communities across the country. The development of a new, modernised contract for the provision of general practitioner services will be a key element in facilitating this process. The aim is to develop a 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.

Since 2015, negotiations have resulted in a number of service developments including the provision of free GP care to under 6's and over 70's, the introduction of a Diabetes Cycle of Care for adult GMS patients with Type 2 Diabetes and enhanced supports for rural GPs. The next phase of discussions on a new GP contract is under way and I expect that the sustainability of general practice in rural areas will be considered in this context.

Budget 2018 has provided €25 million new funding for primary care that will enable a range of initiatives to be progressed in 2018 which will focus on disease prevention, early intervention and GP care. I am hopeful that progress can be made over the coming months on service developments that can be introduced during 2018 and that we can then build on this with further resourcing in future years. I look forward to continued ongoing positive engagement with GP representatives in the months ahead.

In addition, I would like to assure the Deputy of the Government's commitment to the continued development of GP capacity to ensure that patients across the country continue to have access to GP services and that general practice is sustainable in all areas into the future. I want to ensure that existing GP services are retained and that general practice remains an attractive career option for newly-qualified GPs.

Efforts undertaken in recent years to increase the number of practising GPs include changes to the entry provisions to the GMS scheme to accommodate more flexible/shared GMS/GP contracts, and to the retirement provisions for GPs under the GMS scheme, allowing GPs to hold GMS contracts until their 72nd birthday, as well as the introduction of an enhanced supports package for rural GP practices. Separately, the State is seeking to train more GPs to provide GP services to the population. In 2009, there were 120 GP training places and in 2017 there were 170 training places filled. The Government is committed to further increasing this number to 259 places annually in future years.