Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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733. To ask the Minister for Health if consideration will be given to allocate a HSE-contracted GP to a town (details supplied) on a short-term basis given the increased population since 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58055/22]

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.

Most GPs hold contracts with the HSE to provide services under various public health schemes; there are no plans at present to directly employ GPs. Any proposed model involving salaried GP positions would require careful consideration to ensure the required level of service could be provided for medical card and GP visit card holders.

The Government is aware of the workforce issues currently facing general practice and is committed to increasing the number of GPs working in the State, improving access to GP services for patients throughout the country.

Under the 2019 GP Agreement additional annual expenditure provided for general practice has to date been increased by €206.6m and is set to increase to €211.6m per annum next year when the Agreement is fully rolled out. This provides for significant increases in capitation fees for participating GMS GPs, and new fees and subsidies for additional services. Improvements to GP’s maternity and paternity leave arrangements, increased rural practice supports and a support for GPs in disadvantaged urban areas, have also been provided for.

Furthermore, a steady increase has been seen in the number of doctors entering GP training over recent years, rising from 120 in 2009 to 258 in 2022. Following, the transfer of 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.

My Department and the HSE are preparing to commence shortly 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 sustainable general practice.