Community Healthcare Organisations

 

1. While the IMO agree with the principles around Community Healthcare Organisations and GP Leads/Networks we note that such reform requires:

1. Resourcing and
2. Negotiations with the IMO under the auspices of the WRC for the position of GP Leads and
3. Negotiations under the Framework Agreement and in the context of a new GP Contract in respect of GP involvement in networks

Any attempts to roll out the CHOs in advance of resources and negotiations would not be appropriate and we call on the HE to ensure implementation is planned accordingly.

Proposer: Dr Pascal O’Dea                           Seconder: Dr Michael Kelleher

Status: Carried

2. This AGM calls on the HSE to ensure that appropriate resources are allocated and prioritised for service development in the CHOs and not for administration.  The current level of primary care services such as psychology services, speech and language therapy and occupational therapy is wholly inadequate.

Proposer: Mayo GP Branch

Status: Carried

Local Integrated Care Committees

 

3. This AGM calls on the HSE to refrain from using Local Integrated Care Committees to encourage or enable unresourced workload into general practice.

Proposer: Dr Pascal O’Dea                           Seconder: Dr Michael Kelleher

Status: Carried

4. In regard to Local Integrated Care Committees this AGM calls on the HSE and their constituent hospitals and community care sections, in advance of any further developments of such committees, to engage with the IMO to reiterate the established demarcation of GP, Community Care and Hospital Roles and for the HSE to agree guaranteed funding in advance of any new measures relating to GP role.

Proposer: Dr Pascal O’Dea                           Seconder: Dr Michael Kelleher

Status: Carried

Out of Hours

 

5. This meeting notes that the current situation whereby individual GPs are funding red eye services from their own resources is unsustainable and calls on the HSE to fund all red eye cover.

Proposer: Mayo GP Branch

Status: Carried

6. This AGM supports the equalisation of Out of Hours rotas across the country with the national extension of family/age friendly out of hours rotas not exceeding one hundred hours per annum per several regions this AGM supports their implementation for all GPs throughout the country.

Proposer: Dr Pascal O’Dea                           Seconder: Dr Michael Kelleher

Status: Carried

7. In respect of HSE part funded Out of Hours GP Cooperatives the IMO calls on the HSE and the Department of Health to ensure that:

1. Bright Eye Cover is provided by vocationally trained GPS
2. Bright Eye Out of Hours GP Cover should be paid at an hourly rate that reflects the onerous training and qualifications of vocationally trained GPs and
3. Out of Hours Cooperatives that employ doctors to provide cover should pay the medical practitioners malpractice insurance to the employee.

Proposer: Dr Liam Holmes                           Seconder: Dr Ger Corrigan

Status: Defeated as Amended

In respect of HSE part funded Out of Hours GP Cooperatives the IMO calls on the HSE and the Department of Health to ensure that:

1. Bright Eye Cover is provided by suitably qualified doctors
2. Bright Eye Out of Hours GP Cover should be paid at an hourly rate that reflects the onerous training and qualifications of vocationally trained GPs and
3. Out of Hours Cooperatives that employ doctors to provide cover should pay the medical practitioners malpractice insurance to the employee.

8. That, in the interest of fairness, this meeting calls for the standardisation of GP Out of Hours services nationally.

Proposer: Sligo GP Branch

Status: Carried

9. That the IMO negotiate the end of the contractual obligation of individual GPs to provide 24 hours a day care to GMS patients, in the interest of doctor and patient safety.

Proposer: East Galway GP Branch

Status: Referred to Council

FEMPI

 

10. The IMO calls on the HSE and the Department of Health to adhere to the Memorandum of Understanding in respect of a new GP Contract and ensure that GPs are entitled to the same process as being applied to the wider public service in respect of the unwinding and reversal of FEMPI.

Proposer: Mayo and Sligo GP Branch

Status: Carried

Distance Coding

 

11. This meeting calls on the HSE and Department of Health to recognise that the removal of Distance Coding was inequitable and in the context of new Contract negotiations this matter must be addressed either in terms of weighting for distance or in the restoration of distance coding so as to ensure equity of service to patients in all parts of the country.

Proposer: Mayo GP Branch and East Galway GP Branch

Status: Carried

Locum Cover

 

12. In the event that GMS GP is unable to source a locum cover the HSE should be responsible for the sourcing and provision of  locum cover from a panel of GPs to cover practices for sick/study and annual leave.

Proposer: Mayo GP Branch

Status: Carried

13. The IMO calls on the HSE and Department of Health to provide cost of locum cover commensurate with the cost of the provision of a locum.

Proposer: Limerick GP Branch

Status: Carried

 

Superannuation

 

14. This meeting calls on the HSE and Department to Health to make all payments under the GMS subject to superannuation.

Proposers: Mayo GP Branch, East Galway Branch and Sligo GP Branch

Status: Carried

Patient Assignment

 

15. This AGM calls on the HSE and the Department of Health to recognise that patient assignment under the GMS was envisaged to cover emergency and/or isolated situations and it was not envisaged that large numbers of patients be transferred to GPs without agreement.  We call on the HSE to cease the practice of assigning patients in this manner.

Proposer: Mayo GP Branch

Status: Referred to GP Committee

GMS Lists

 

16. This meeting calls on the IMO to negotiate a reduction in maximum GMS list sizes from 2200 to 2000 so as to ensure safe cover of all patients in General Practice.

Proposer: Limerick GP Branch

Status: Defeated

 

Practice Staff

 

17. This meeting calls on the IMO to negotiate with the HSE and Department of Health an appropriate payment for Staff Subsidies that reflects the increased costs of practice redundancy payments.

Proposer: Limerick GP Branch

Status: Carried As Amended

Amendment

This meeting calls on the IMO to negotiate with the HSE and Department of Health an appropriate payment for Staff Subsidies that reflects the overall costs of practice staff redundancy payments.

Deprivation

 

18. This AGM supports the introduction of deprivation weighting in resourcing GP practices both urban and rural.

Proposer: Dr Pascal O’Dea                           Seconder: Dr Michael Kelleher

Status: Carried

19. This meeting calls on the IMO to negotiate increased resources to support GPs who work in deprivation areas to allow them appropriately meet the needs of their patients recognising that the existing 40 year old contract makes it unattractive to practice in areas of high morbidity/mortality.

Proposer: North Dublin GP Branch

Status: Carried

Salaried GPs

 

20. This AGM agrees that the HSE or Corporate GP Service Provider Employed GPs are not the solution to low GP numbers in some communities, as in the medium to long term this process proves both unsatisfactory to the GP and Patient.  A resourced fit for purpose GP Contract is the long term solution.

Proposer: Dr Pascal O’Dea                           Seconder: Dr Michael Kelleher

Status: Carried

21. This AGM agrees that a fit for purpose resourced GMS Contract is the appropriate method of encouraging newly establishing GPs to take on GMS lists, as in the medium to long term they are their patients are better served by the independent contractor model rather than the recently suggested option of employee status.

Proposer: Dr Pascal O’Dea                           Seconder: Dr Michael Kelleher

Status: Carried

22. To facilitate the survival of GPs in marginal areas this meeting calls for a salaried option as part of the proposed new GP Contract.

Proposer: Sligo GP Branch

Status: Withdrawn

High Dependency Patients

 

23. This meeting condemns the discharge of high dependency patients into the community without adequate resourcing of care needs.

Proposer: Sligo GP Branch

Status: Carried

TUSLA

 

24. This AGM expresses deep concern at the absence of a structured framework and agreed process for GP involvement in relation to vulnerable children and we call on the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and Tusla to immediately engage with the IMO on this matter.

Proposer: Dr Pascal O’Dea                           Seconder: Dr Michael Kelleher

Status: Carried

HIQA

 

25. This AGM calls on the Department of Health and HSE to adequately resource increased GP workload resulting from increased transfer of responsibility in all areas of GP work, resulting from HIQA legislative requirements applied to the provision of health services.

Proposer: Dr Pascal O’Dea                           Seconder: Dr Michael Kelleher

Status: Carried

                                                          Infrastructure

26. That the IMO negotiate with the HSE as a matter of urgency that GPs who provide premises from their own resources to see GMS patients be reimbursed for providing this facility.

Proposer: East Galway GP Branch

Status: Carried

                                   GP Training Places

27. That the IMO work, with others, to increase the number of GP Training places for graduates from medical schools in Ireland and to ensure working conditions in general practice are sufficiently attractive to encourage these trainees to remain in general practice in Ireland. 

Proposer: East Galway GP Branch

Status: Carried

                                                         Telemedicine 

28. That the IMO take the lead in working with others to establish a National Implementation Board for eHealth and Telemedicine. 

Proposer: East Galway GP Branch

Status: Referred to GP Committee

                                                            Nursing Homes

29. That the IMO negotiate a retainer fee for GPs or practices that attend elderly GMS patients in Community Nursing Units or Nursing Homes. 

Proposer: East Galway GP Branch

Status: Referred to GP Committee

Reimbursable Drugs Under the GMS Payments Scheme

 

30. The IMO calls upon the Department of Health and the HSE to waive the GMS prescription fee for patients who are registered as homeless.

Proposer: Dr Kieran Harkin                         Seconder: Dr Austin O’Carroll

Status: Referred to GP Committee

31. The IMO calls upon the Department of Health and the HSE to authorise Thiamine as a reimbursable drug under the GMS Payments Scheme.

Proposer: Dr Kieran Harkin                         Seconder: Dr Austin O’Carroll

Status: Referred to GP Committee

32. The IMO calls upon the Department of Health and the HSE to authorise medication to treat head lice as a reimbursable drug under the GMS payments scheme

Proposer: Dr Kieran Harkin                         Seconder: Dr Austin O’Carroll

Status: Referred to GP Committee