Bid to involve GPs in reducing gynaecology list fails

An attempt to involve family doctors in reducing long waiting times for women with a distressing gynae- cological problem has failed after GPs said that they were not prepared to take on additional unpaid work.

In an email to GPs last week, Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH), said due to “long waiting lists for patients with prolapse [prolapsed womb], we are looking at moving towards the HSE model of integrated care” — with both hospital and GPs playing a part.

It would involve GPs fitting a pessary, a device to shore up a prolapsed womb. To train for this role, CUMH invited GPs to attend a masterclass in pessary fitting — at a cost of €200 per person, made payable to the Cork University Foundation, to fund research.