Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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General Practitioners that hold GMS contracts for the provision of services to medical card and GP visit card holders are required under their contract to make suitable arrangements for emergencies outside normal practice hours. Most GPs participate in GP out of hours cooperatives to meet this contractual requirement.

South-West Doctors-on-Call Limited, known as SouthDoc, is the out of hours family doctor service for urgent medical care in counties Cork and Kerry. As with other GP out of hours cooperatives, the HSE has in place a Service Level Agreement with SouthDoc for a quantum of service with an associated funding stream for the relevant areas. The HSE is in regular contact with SouthDoc to ensure that these services continue to meet the needs of their local communities.

Within the previous 6 months, the HSE advised that recent level of demands for SouthDoc services necessitated a review by SouthDoc of the allocation of doctors to its regional red-eye service (ie for services between the hours of 22.00 and 08.00). The HSE sought and received assurances that these adjustments relate to the doctors’ rosters only and will not impact the service provision of the red-eye duty. SouthDoc advised that the capacity of the red-eye service is more than sufficient to deal with any upsurge in patient demand.

As with other Out of Hour GP services, SouthDoc continuously reviews the allocation of doctors, both member GPs and locum doctors, to ensure the most effective allocation of their clinical skills and expertise to ensure the safest and most effective service.

I am aware that concerns have been raised recently about the level of service provided in certain areas of north Cork. SouthDoc have confirmed to the HSE that its out of hours service remains available to patients in the region with no reduction in the level of access to those services and in accordance with their clinical needs.

SouthDoc have assured that, in recognition of the range of stakeholders involved, any review of service which would impact on patients would involve appropriate advance engagement with the HSE.