Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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1792. To ask the Minister for Health if the HSE can provide assistance to a patient (details supplied) to register with a general practitioner practice given their attempts to do so have failed due to full patient lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35532/21]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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3055. To ask the Minister for Health if the HSE will provide assistance to a patient (details supplied) to register with a general practitioner practice given that their attempts to do so has failed due to full patient lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40111/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1792 and 3055 together.

Where a GMS patient experiences difficulty in finding a GP to accept him/her as a patient, the person concerned having unsuccessfully applied to at least three GPs in the area can apply to the HSE National Medical Card Unit which has the power to assign that person to a GP's GMS patient list.

People who do not hold a medical card or GP visit card access GP services on a private basis and can make enquiries directly to any GP practice they wish to register with. As private contractors, it is a matter for each individual GP to decide whether to accept additional private patients. Where a GP practice has a full list of patients and cannot take on new patients, patients should contact other GP practices in the surrounding areas.

The Government is aware of the workforce issues currently facing general practice, including the limited access to GP services in certain areas, and has implemented a number of measures to improve recruitment and retention in general practice.

These measures include an increase in investment in general practice by approximately 40% (€210 million) between 2019 and 2023 under the terms of the 2019 GMS GP Agreement GP. The Agreement provides for increased support for GPs working in rural practices and for those in disadvantaged urban areas, and for improvements to maternity and paternity leave arrangements. In addition, the number of GPs entering training has been increased steadily over the past number of years, rising from 120 in 2009 to 233 in 2021.

These measures will see an increase in the number of GPs working in the State, improving access to GP services for patients throughout the country.