GP shortages in Laois
Brian Stanley described serious GP shortages in Laois, with patients unable to find a doctor and ending up in emergency care for common illnesses. The Taoiseach said the State is spending about €1 billion a year on general practice, more people have free GP care, and a strategic review is under way.
I again with to raise the issue of the shortage of GPs again, particularly in the context of Laois. There is a shortage of GPs in the main towns across the county. There is a problem for medical card and non-medical card patients, including families with children.
In the past few days two families tried to get a GP in Portlaoise, Portarlington and Mountmellick. One parent had to take time off work to go to a practice in Dublin. People are going to the accident and emergency unit with common illnesses for treatment. That is what is happening. There is a public health issue here. We have had a huge population increase. A HSE reply of one sentence stated that the HSE was not in a position to advise on the number of private GP practices providing primary care in County Laois. I am not blaming the HSE but because of the system, we rely solely on the private ones and that kind of an answer does not suffice. It cannot be a hands-off approach.
I am aware a strategic review is under way. That review is supposed to be considering directly employed GPs. Where there are areas of serious population growth such as County Laois, I ask that the Government employ a few directly employed GPs to provide care.
Comment on this
The Minister was down last week. We had the opening of the accident and emergency unit but it is getting clogged with people who should be getting treated in primary care.
Comment on this
Basically, we are spending about €1 billion annually in general practice to support patients. Some 43% of the population now has access to free GP care and Government investment has significantly increased. There is a strategic review of general practice currently under way, and I presume it will take on board some of the issues the Deputy has raised in terms of growth areas in population and the need for greater access to GPs more generally. There has also been increased access to pharmacy capacities in respect of some conditions. There are about eight conditions pharmacists can now diagnose and prescribe treatment for. We have to become more flexible in how we enable people to access primary care services. We have invested significantly in general practice. Under the 2019 GP agreement, an extra €211 million was put in and a further €130 million under the 2023 GP agreement.