Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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127. To ask the Minister for Health the extra supports made available for out-of-hours general practitioner care in the winter initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42308/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The HSE’s Winter Plan 2020/2021 has been developed within the context of delivering essential healthcare in a Covid-19 environment. The plan has been allocated an additional €600m in funding to support improved patient care both in hospitals and in the community.

The Winter Plan provides for, amongst other things, increased timely GP access to diagnostics with provision for an additional 33,950 diagnostics in Q4 2020 and an additional 45,267 diagnostics up to April 2021, expanding GP Practice to enhance health care supports offered to vulnerable groups, and the ongoing provision of Community Assessment Hubs which will be expanded to provide treatment for non Covid-19 acute respiratory illness as well as Covid-19 related illness. The Plan also will see the establishment of temporary crises intervention supports for GP practices and out-of-hour services that may be overburdened by increased activity over the winter.

In addition, in recognition of the disruption to business and need for the continuance of GP Out-of-Hours services during the Covid-19 emergency, a grant-based support for GP Out-of-Hours Coops was introduced by the HSE from 14 March. This arrangement is separate to the agreement for Covid-19 support payments for individual GP practices. In return for this, since June the Coops provide referrals for COVID testing without charge.