David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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1427. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to put in place a new contract for general practitioners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29072/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The vision of Sláintecare, the report of the Oireachtas Committee on the Future of Healthcare, is to deliver safe, quality health and social care services that meet the needs of the growing population.

General practice policies central to the implementation of Sláintecare are the reform of the GMS GP contract and the roll out of a Chronic Disease Management (CDM) programme for GMS patients, and the move towards universal access to GP services without charges on a phased basis.

The 2019 GP Agreement helps to modernise and reform the GMS scheme, expanding services for patients and making general practice a more attractive career option for doctors.

The 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 review will examine the broad range of issues affecting general practice and will set out measures necessary to deliver a sustainable service into the future. The outcome of this review will inform future contractual changes, with preparatory work for the review having begun this year.