HSE endeavours to attract GPs to work in rural practices

A series of measures aimed at attracting doctors to work in rural general practice are to be announced shortly by the HSE. The move comes amid continuing difficulties recruiting GPs to take up vacant positions in 19 unfilled practices nationwide.

The HSE plans to introduce new criteria for awarding the rural practice allowance to GPs in an attempt to help fill some of the available positions. The allowance is a specific payment awarded to GPs with medical card patients who practice in a village with a population of less than 500 and who are more than three miles away from a town with a population of 1,500 or more. It is worth €16,000 annually.

Under new plans, the allowance will be expanded so that GPs within a three to seven mile radius from a town will be able to access half the allowance, it is understood. Up until now strict application of the allowance by the HSE has meant many GPs in rural areas were unable to access the allowance. For over a year GPs have complained that the allowance, seen as a vital and crucial financial resource, is effectively being wiped out by the HSE.

According to HSE figures from the beginning of July, temporary locums are currently working in 19 practices and treating more than 11,000 medical card patients who do not have a full-time, permanent GP.

In Moycullen, Co Galway, a medical card list with 593 patients has been vacant seven years. In the interim a long-term locum has filled the void, but the position is due to be advertised again, the HSE said.

The HSE described the Moycullen list as rural but no rural practice allowance is in place. According to the chair of the Irish Medical Organisation GP Committee, Padraig McGarry the changes come following representation made by the organisation to the HSE over what he says is the “crisis that is facing rural general practice”.

“It is an important first step but falls far short of what is needed to retain GPs and attract GPs to rural general practice,” he said.

“Rural general practice has been decimated through the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act cuts to GPs.

“Rural general practice needs to get a proper injection to get back to being viable. We accept this is a start but it falls short of our expectations,” he said.

A notice announcing the plans is due to circulated by the HSE shortly.

The HSE said a statement it had reviewed its guidelines for dealing with rural practice allowance applications.

“The purpose of the new guidance is to ensure consistency, transparency and fairness in decision-making in respect of the relevant discretionary provisions of the GMS contract pertaining to the granting or otherwise of the allowance to new applicants. The new guidance does not, however, affect existing holders of the allowance,” the statement reads.

It said the supports for rural general practice are to be considered under negotiations on a new GP contract.