The ability of general practice to continue to provide high quality patient care is in jeopardy reflected in the situation where GPs are unable to retire, the closure of lists and or waiting lists; the failure to reverse FEMPI cuts and as yet no conclusion of negotiations for a new GMS contract. Training for General practice is still seen as attractive to new entrants but the retention of GP graduates and filling vacancies on a national basis continues to prove challenging.
The gap between Government aspirations of the Slainte Care Report- a GP led Primary care health service – and commitment of the necessary resources continues to widen.
This ongoing situation is neither good for patients nor GPs as the care provider.
Addressing the three R’s: Recruitment, Retention and Replacement –the themes of our Forum are the pivot points on which solutions to the current situation rests. The Forum will explore solutions for how the Specialty, the Profession and the College can ensure that there is a future for General Practice to enable it to continue to provide care for patients that they deserve.
Chair: Dr. John Gillman, Chair ICGP
Presenters: Dr. Austin Byrne, Dr. John O’Brien
Panel: Dr. Richard Brennan, Dr. Rita Doyle, Dr. Sinead Feeney, Dr. Rukshan Goonewardena
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