GPs may take action over change to contracts

Doctors have threatened to seek a High Court injunction to stop the Department of Health from changing GP contracts without talks.

Two weeks ago, Alex White, minister of state for primary care, published a draft contract for the provision of free GP care for all children under six years.

The Irish Medical Organisation warned yesterday that it will seek the injunction within 14 days if the department did not agree to hold “proper negotiations” with the doctors’ group.

Chairman of the IMO’s GP committee, Ray Walley, said the draft contract would prevent doctors from criticising errors made by the department or HSE.

The draft provides for a five-year contract, with the option of extending it for a further five years subject to a performance review.

It also states the service provider shall not do anything to prejudice the name or reputation of the HSE.

Speaking at an IMO press conference, Dr Walley described the draft contract as “repugnant”, and a threat to the privacy of the doctor/patient relationship.

“It is clear that this draft contract has little to do with the provision of care for under-6s but more about the HSE trying to take control of general practice and that will be bad for patients,” said Dr Walley

He was concerned the independence of GPs could be compromised if their contract was due for renewal in two or three year’s time.

He said the draft contract included “fundamental variations and modifications” to the GP visit only card contract, negotiated between the department and the IMO in 2005. It also mooted replacing the GMS contract without negotiation.

Dr Walley said the IMO wanted the draft contract to be scrapped and negotiations to commence on the development of a new contract for free GP care for all.

“We are costing out the provision of a full GP care system for the population,” he said.

The IMO said it accepted the Government’s right to introduce a new contract but GPs’ existing contract included provisions on how those changes could be introduced.

“We want to preserve what is good in general practice at the moment,” said an IMO spokesperson.

Meanwhile, a poll by GPBuddy.ie indicates that 91% of GPs would not sign the draft contract for free GP care for under sixes.

Just 2% of 390 GPs who took part in the poll indicated that they would sign the contract as proposed, while 7% were unsure.