David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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726. To ask the Minister for Health the staffing entitlements made available through agreements to general practice; the basis on which entitlements are apportioned; if the entitlements of partnership practice are proportional to the number of general practitioners or a flat rate per practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4773/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Under the GMS scheme, GPs are paid a subsidy towards the cost of employing a practice nurse and/or a practice secretary. Payments are made to participating GPs with a panel size of at least 100 GMS patients and are based on the size of the GMS patient panel. The maximum payment is applicable at a panel size of 1,200 or more patients; payments made to panels less than 1,200 are made on a pro-rata basis. The subsidy rate applies to those staff employed on a full-time basis and for staff not employed on a full-time basis payment is made on a pro-rata basis. Group practices may also qualify for a subsidy to employ a practice manager.

GP’s in partnerships or group practices may aggregate their panels when making an application for a subsidy. However, partnership and group practices do not qualify for a subsidy in respect of more than one practice secretary and/or practice nurse per contracting GP in the practice.

In addition, GPs working in rural areas who meet the qualifying criteria will also qualify for the rural support allowance, and the 2019 GP Agreement provides for increased support for participating practices in disadvantaged urban areas.

The practice staff subsidy rates are set out below.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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727. To ask the Minister for Health the value of payments made specifically for staffing costs to general practitioners in 2019, 2020, and 2021; the number of practice secretaries, practice nurses and practice managers these payments are made for; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4774/22]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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728. To ask the Minister for Health the value of payments made to general practitioners in 2019, 2020, and 2021 for practice nurses. [4775/22]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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729. To ask the Minister for Health the value of payments made to general practitioners in 2019, 2020 and 2021 for practice secretaries. [4776/22]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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730. To ask the Minister for Health the value of payments made to general practitioners in 2019, 2020 and 2021 for practice managers. [4777/22]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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731. To ask the Minister for Health the number of active medical card and free general practitioner cards and related general practitioner expenditure in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, in tabular form. [4778/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 727 to 731, inclusive, together.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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732. To ask the Minister for Health the number of general practitioners which are estimated to be required to meet current population need demands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4779/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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General Practitioners are private practitioners. There is no prescribed ratio of GPs to patients and the State does not regulate the number of GPs that can set up in a town or community.

Under the terms of the General Medical Services and GP Visit Card contracts, the maximum number of medical card or GP visit card patients on a GP's patient panel may not exceed 2,000, or 2,200 if the GP also holds an under 6 contract, except in exceptional circumstances. There is no minimum number of patients specified for a panel. The State does not prescribe the number of private patients that may be registered with a GP; this is a matter for individual GP practices.

The Government remain committed to the continued development of GP capacity to ensure that patients continue to have access to GP services.

The number of GPs on the Specialist Division of the Register in General Practice continues to increase – up from 2,270 in 2010 to 4,319 as of 26 January 2022, and the number of GPs contracted by the HSE under the GMS scheme has also risen from 2,098 in 2008 to 2,542 in January 2022. A further 532 GPs not contracted under the GMS scheme are registered to provide other services including the Primary Childhood Immunisation Scheme, Health Amendment Act 1996, Heartwatch, Methadone Treatment Scheme and the National Cancer Screening Service.

There has been a significant increase in the number of GPs entering training in recent years, up from 120 in 2009 to 233 in 2021, with large increases made in recent years. Further increases are expected following the transfer of responsibility for training from the HSE to the Irish College of General Practitioners.

Recent developments in relation to general practice, in particular the 2019 Agreement on Contractual Reform and Service Development, have helped to re-establish general practice in Ireland as an attractive career choice.  The additional investment, which will amount to €210 million annually once the Agreement is fully implemented, provides for an increase in capitation fees, improved maternity and paternity arrangements as well as enhanced supports for rural practices. In addition, targeted funding of €2 million will also be set aside to provide additional support to practices in deprived urban areas.

The 2019 GP Agreement includes a commitment to undertake a strategic review of GP services within the lifetime of the Agreement, to examine how best to ensure the provision of GP services in Ireland for the future.  The outcome of this review will inform future contractual changes, with preparatory work for the review having begun this year.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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733. To ask the Minister for Health the number of general practitioners which are estimated to be required to meet current medical card and free general practitioner card demand; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4780/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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General Practitioners are private contractors. There is no prescribed ratio of GPs to patients and the State does not regulate the number of GPs that can set up in a town or community.

Under the terms of the General Medical Services and GP Visit Card contracts, the maximum number of medical card or GP visit card patients on a GP's patient panel may not exceed 2,000, or 2,200 if the GP also holds an under 6 contract, except in exceptional circumstances. There is no minimum number of patients specified for a panel. GMS patients unable to find a GP accepting new patients, can be assigned to a GP’s GMS list by the HSE.

The number of GPs on the Specialist Division of the Register in General Practice continues to increase – up from 2,270 in 2010 to 4,319 as of 26 January 2022, and the number of GPs contracted by the HSE under the GMS scheme has also risen from 2,098 in 2008 to 2,542 in January 2022. 

The number of GPs entering training in recent years has also increased, up from 120 in 2009 to 233 in 2021, with large increases made in recent years. Further increases are expected following the transfer of responsibility for training from the HSE to the Irish College of General Practitioners.

The 2019 GP Agreement on Contractual Reform and Service Development includes a commitment to undertake a strategic review of GP services within the lifetime of the Agreement, to examine how best to ensure the provision of GP services in Ireland for the future.  The outcome of this review will inform future contractual changes, with preparatory work for the review having begun this year.