Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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513. To ask the Minister for Health if he will urgently establish a high-level working group on future general practice, to help find innovative solutions, and work collectively to address shortages in the general practitioner-sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46991/22]

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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514. To ask the Minister for Health if general-practitioner training in business planning and management will be made available, particularly, GP training in setting-up and building group practices at community level, and where group practice is not viable or feasible; if the HSE will facilitate the ongoing support of such practices, enhancing practice collaboration and networking; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46992/22]

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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515. To ask the Minister for Health if his Department will set up an initiative whereby it would work with the European Investment Bank to set-up a fund to provide low interest loans to groups of general practitioners to set-up primary care centres run by those GPs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46993/22]

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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521. To ask the Minister for Health if he will consider the establishment of an academic general practitioner-career pathway to recruit, support and retain sufficient academic GPs to meet Ireland’s expanding primary care teaching, healthcare policy and research requirements, and to deliver high-quality evidence-based GP care to patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46999/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 513 to 515, inclusive, and 521 together.

In accordance with the 2019 Agreement with GPs, the Department of Health and the HSE have commenced preparatory work on a strategic review of GP services 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 the measures necessary to improve the delivery of the GP services nationwide. It is anticipated that key stakeholder groups will provide an important contribution to the review and in determining the measures to be undertaken.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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516. To ask the Minister for Health the plans that are in place and being considered to resource rural general practice to attract general practitioners; the measures that will be put in place to achieve this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46994/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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GPs are self-employed practitioners and therefore may establish practices at a place of their own choosing. 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.

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

Under the 2019 GP Agreement between the Department of Health, the HSE and IMO, over €210 million in annual funding has been committed to provide for a more sustainable general practice.

In addition to increased service payments to GPs and the allocation of resources to implement the Chronic Disease Management Programme, the Agreement provided for a 10 percent increase in payments under the pre-existing Rural Practice Support Framework and a 28 percent increase to dispensing doctor fees. Practices in receipt of rural practice supports attract the maximum allowable rates for practice staff support subsidies and locum contributions for leave taking.

The Agreement also provides for support for GPs working in disadvantaged urban areas, and for improved family friendly arrangements, with an increases in the locum rate for maternity and paternity cover, and an increase in the paternity leave allowance from 3 days to 2 weeks.

The number of doctors entering GP training has increased approximately ten percent year on year from 2019, rising from 193 in 2019 to 258 in 2022. Following the transfer of responsibility for GP training from the HSE to the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP), the ICGP aims to have 350 training places available for new entrants per year by 2026.

Preparatory work has commenced on a strategic review of GP services 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 in general and in rural areas specifically, and will set out the measures necessary to deliver a better general practice.

Overall, 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.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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517. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to improve ICT systems in general practice; if he will consider the implementation of such measures as summary care records, facilitated with a unique patient identifier, to enable an efficient, integrated healthcare system; his plans for investment in e-communication solutions between GP and hospital care to improve patient safety, optimise referral rates and overall, to support secondary care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46995/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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GP ICT systems have undergone a series of significant developments in recent years. During the pandemic we saw the rapid deployment of a new facilities to support electronic transfer of prescriptions, access to teleconsultations, electronically refer patients for Covid testing, submit Covid vaccination data to facilitate national data collection and the issuance of EU Digital Covid Certificates in accordance with EU regulations. Whilst the impact of these initiatives was in some cases to push other planned work back, they were nonetheless important and necessary in terms of pandemic response. Under the 2019 Agreement with GPs, a commitment has been given to facilitate the introduction of summary and shared care records. Plans remain in place within the Department and HSE to pursue this and other ICT related initiatives.