City GPs seek new arrangements for ‘red eye’ cover

LIMERICK city doctors are drawing up new proposals which they will bring to the Health Service Executive and the Shannondoc coop about out of hours cover in the city.

More than 125 GPs in County Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary provide out of hours cover through Shannondoc, but 70 Limerick city GPs have resisted calls to join Shannondoc.

The HSE last year rejected moves by the city GPs to form a separate co-op.

The city GPs have now formed a special committee to bring forward new proposals to the HSE on primary care for their patients.

Members of Shannondoc pay on average €10,000 a year for locums who work out of hours and ‘red-eye’ shifts.

However in some parts of the country the Department of Health bears the cost of red-eye cover.

Dr Maurice Rowsome, spokesman for the city GPs said: “City GPs refuse to bear any of the cost involved in red eye cover. It’s been overcome in other areas of the country and we would be hopeful it could be overcome in Limerick city.”

At present the city GPs have six separate two-doctor rosters to deal with out of hours calls.

It is believed that the city GPs are prepared to enter talks with Shannondoc to form a city ‘cell’ which would operate under the umbrella of Shannondoc.

One doctor said: “We would like to have a model which would suit the needs of city practices. It is at an exploratory stage at the moment and no talks have been held with the HSE or Shannondoc.

“But the cost of red eye cover is a major issue which will have to be dealt with on an equitable basis in all parts of the country.

“On call doctor services are more expensive in the regions. The system in the city at present provides a very generous on call service although there is no centralised call-in centre.”

Junior Health Minister, Tim O’Malley has made repeated calls on the city GPs to join Shannondoc, claiming their out of hours cover arrangements are ad hoc and not sufficient to provide adequate cover.

He said all the necessary funding had been provided to broaden Shannondoc into the city.

Mr O’Malley said that inadequate out of hours cover in the city is resulting in patients going to the A&E at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital.

Meanwhile the long awaited roll out of the specimen courier service by the HSE in the Mid-West commences today in Co Clare.

New EU regulations prevent doctors sending blood and other samples to hospital laboratories by post, necessitating the use of courier services.