The Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) is the professional body for general practice in Ireland and is the representative organisation for education, training and standards in general practice.
In its pre-Budget Submission launched today (October 8th 2020), the College calls for:
- An increased say by the ICGP on policy development.
- Greater engagement with the HSE to support general practice in deprived urban and rural areas.
- Greater engagement to enable the consolidation of practices.
- Greater support for the College in the expansion of quality training.
- Improved IT infrastructure.
- An increase in the number of allied primary care professionals.
- Greater access to mental health services.
The President of the ICGP, Dr Margaret O’Riordan, said:
Irish general practice is changing, rapidly and it has changed beyond recognition in the past 7 months. It has shows how flexible and adaptable it is to meet urgent needs.
However there are huge pressures on existing practices, and it must be made more attractive to retain existing doctors and recruit new GPs into practice.
Over the next two decades, huge changes are coming, and the Department of Health, Sláintecare and the HSE must work with the ICGP to develop a policy that protects and grows general practice in the interest of patient care.
The full text of the 2021 Pre-Budget submission is here.
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