Smaller GP practices struggling to find Covid-19 'buddy' practices 

Deliveries of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines are only being made in large batches due to the challenging transport requirements. File Picture.

GPs in smaller practices are struggling to access Covid-19 vaccines for their elderly patients as they cannot find fellow practices with which to "buddy-up".

Deliveries of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines are only being made in large batches due to the challenging transport requirements. 

This is why under the terms of the deal between the Irish Medical Organisation and the HSE, smaller deliveries and home-visits cannot be offered.

That means the one in three GP practices with fewer than 200 over 70s on their list have to make alternative arrangements.

For many, they need to “buddy-up” with a larger practice.

In Tralee, Dr Angela O'Donoghue’s practice is mainly made up of patients who have young families, but she also has 150 over 70s on her books.

“The only solution offered was for us to buddy-up with another practice, but if that can’t happen there doesn’t seem to be any other solution,” she said.

We approached a couple of other practices, but they were not interested.

"Our patients are ringing us, and we have nothing to tell them, it is very frustrating,” she added.

Dr O'Donoghue is a member of an online forum for doctors in Kerry. She said a number of them are facing the same challenge.

Her worry now is elderly patients might think she is against the vaccine when this is far from the case.

“We are ready, willing, and able. We just don’t have the vaccine,” she said.

Due to the fragility of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine, GPs are running around, as Dr O’Donoghue has tried to do, to find a partner practice to send their older patients to for vaccination.

She said: “Even if it works out, you are asking patients to up-sticks and move, and then our staff will have to go there as well. This will leave our practice un-manned.”

This contrasts with the situation in Cork, Galway, and Dublin where doctor-led vaccination hubs will cater for these small practices.

The Munster Technological University (MTU) campus will host the Cork hub, with 24 practices already signed up according to its lead, Dr Mike Thompson. This will open next Saturday.

And later in the rollout, the numbers of bays on this site will be increased to become a mass vaccination centre.

In Tralee, the MTU Kerry Sports Academy campus is being set-up as a mass vaccination centre, but until now GPs have not been told if they can access this for older patients first.

Dr O’Donoghue said: “There are practices in Tralee who know their vaccines are arriving this week. 

Our patients are ringing us and we are not able to tell them anything.

“This age group are very eager to get vaccinated, to get the rest of their year ready.” 

She already had quite a struggle to get her staff at the Fuchsia Medical Centre vaccinated until a local convent which is home to a retirement centre for elderly nuns was eventually able to accommodate them.