Motions 1 - 8

Competition Act

1. The IMO calls upon the Minister for Health to honour the State’s commitment to amend Section 4 of the Competition Act.

Proposers: IMO GP Committee, IMO Clare GP Branch

Amendment : The IMO calls upon the Government to implement  the State’s commitment to amend Section 4 of the Competition Act.

Status: Amended Motion Carried

2. The IMO will, in line with its GP Strategy, pursue all options, including legal options, to uphold the representative rights of its GP members.

Proposers: IMO GP Committee, Kilkenny GP Branch

Amendment: The IMO will, in line with its GP Strategy, pursue all options, including legal options if required, to uphold the representative rights of its GP members.

Status: Amended Motion Carried

FEMPI

3. The IMO calls upon the Minister for Health to reinstate Distance coding for rural patients to ensure the continued availability of medical services in rural areas as detailed in the IMO Submission to the Department of Health.

Proposer: IMO GP Committee, Clare GP Branch

Amendment: The IMO calls upon the Minister for Health to reinstate distance, weighted capitation payment for rural patients to ensure the continued availability of medical services in rural areas as detailed in the IMO Submission to the Department of Health immediately.

Status: Amended Motion Carried

4. This meeting calls for the payment rates for Nursing Home residents to be restored to pre FEMPI rates to reflect the workload involved in providing these services.

Proposer: Clare GP Branch

Status: Carried

Funding Primary Care

5. This meeting calls on the Department of Health to promote a model of health care funding on the basis of the primary health care needs of individual communities. We insist that within this provision there should be a weighting of GP resources taking cognisance of the unique pressures that deprivation, both urban and rural, creates for primary health care provision.

Proposer: North Dublin GP Branch

Status: Carried

Vaccine Services

6. This meeting calls on the Minister for Health to ensure that pharmacies who provide vaccines be available for and make proper provision to provide 24 hour continuing care to patients who have been vaccinated.

Proposer: Clare GP Branch

Status: Carried

Dispensing

7. This meeting calls on the HSE to offer a Dispensing Contract to any GP wishing to dispense medication from his/her practice.

Proposer: Mayo GP Branch

Status: Carried

Practice Nurses

8. This meeting calls on Medisec to clarify the insurance cover for practice nurses employed by GP partnerships.

Proposer: Dr Joe Martin Seconder: Dr Mairin Harrington

Status: Fell

Motions 9 - 34

Medical Cards

9. The IMO calls upon the Minister for Health to order an urgent review of the Centralised Medical Card Applications System, given the disastrous experience for vulnerable patients in the last twelve months.

Proposer: IMO GP Committee

Status : Carried

10. The IMO deplores and condemns the late processing of medical card applications and demands prompt processing of all applications.

Proposer: Clare GP Branch

Status : Carried

11. The IMO demands that the application and review process for medical cards be made more transparent for patients and the promise made by the HSE that all applications be processed within 15 working days becomes reality as a matter of urgency.

Proposer: North East GP Branch

Status : Carried

12. The IMO calls for the renewed involvement of Community Welfare Officers in the administration of medical cards at local level.

Proposer: IMO GP Committee

Status : Carried

Study Leave

13. This meeting calls on the PCRS to engage with the IMO to simplify and standardise the claiming of study leave allowance which is currently over complicated, riddled with idiosyncrasy and inconsistencies, and in light of CPD requirements is an unnecessary administrative burden for both GPs and PCRS staff.

Proposer: Dr Deirdre Burns Seconder: Dr Criona Burns

Status : Carried

14. This meeting calls for all Study Leave to be paid promptly as per the GMS Contract.

Proposer: Clare GP Branch

Status : Carried

Out of Hours

15. This meeting condemns the PCRS for stopping payments for out of hours house calls thus leading to increased referrals and admissions to hospital.

Proposer: Mayo GP Branch

Status : Carried

16. This meeting calls on the PCRS to honour and promptly pay all valid Out of Hours claims.

Proposer: Clare GP Branch

Amendment: This meeting calls on the PCRS to honour and promptly pay all valid Out of Hours claims in accordance with the GMS Contract.

Status : Amended Motion Carried

17. This meeting demands that GMS GPs receive appropriate payment for out of hours house calls.

Proposer: Mayo GP Branch

Status : Carried

18. This meeting requests the Minister for Health to introduce a €5 Out of Hours Consultation Charge for medical card users similar to the prescription charge.

Proposer: Mayo GP Branch

Status : Withdrawn

19. This meeting demands that GPs are paid the same fee for each consultation seen in a family group out of hours.

Proposer: Mayo GP Branch

Status : Carried

20. This meeting deplores the constant reduction of budgets to out of hours services which will inevitably result in a reduction in the out of hours service.

Proposer: Mayo GP Branch

Status : Carried

GMS Contract

21. This meeting deplores the ongoing failure of local HSE regions to honour aspects of the GMS Contract and demands that all regions be treated equally and in keeping with the existing GMS Contract.

Proposer: North East GP Branch

Status : Carried

Phlebotomy Service

22. This meeting confirms that it is the responsibility of the HSE to provide prompt, accessible phlebotomy services for all patients.

Proposer: Clare GP Branch

Status : Carried

Chronic Care

23. This meeting demands that the HSE desist from introducing Chronic Care in a piecemeal fashion with pilot structures which are poorly conceived and underfunded and the IMO calls for the National Diabetes Strategy to be fully resourced.

Proposer: North East GP Branch, North Dublin GP Branch

Status : Carried

24. The IMO calls on the HSE to negotiate with the IMO the contractual issues regarding the implementation of the Chronic Care Programme, including the provision of necessary supports and structures for General Practice, before any transfer of work from secondary care to primary care takes place.

Proposers: North East GP Branch, Mayo GP Branch, Donegal GP Branch

Status : Carried

Long Term Illness Scheme

25. This meeting rejects any move from the Long Term Illness system to Doctor Visit Only Cards until such time as Chronic Care Programmes have been properly resourced at national level.

Proposer: North Dublin GP Branch

Status : Carried

Primary Care Teams

26. This meeting calls on the HSE to negotiate with the IMO a contract that enables GP participation in Primary Care Teams.

Proposer: Limerick GP Branch

Status : Carried

27. This meeting calls on the HSE to prioritise the appointment of community frontline healthcare professionals to which all GPs should have access regardless of primary care team structures.

Proposer: Limerick GP Branch

Amendment: his meeting calls on the HSE to prioritise the appointment of community frontline healthcare professionals to which all patients should have access regardless of primary care team structures.

Status : Amended Motion Carried

Treatment for Drug Users

28. This meeting calls on the HSE to engage with the IMO with a view to removing barriers to GPs providing treatment to problem drug users in the community.

Proposer: Dr Garrett McGovern Seconder: Dr Cathal O’Sullivan

Status : Carried

29. This meeting reiterates that, as the representative body for GPs, the IMO is responsible for all contractual matters relating to GPs and requests that the ICGP discuss any protocol changes which may have a contractual implication with the IMO.

Proposer: Dr Garrett McGovern Seconder: Dr Cathal O’Sullivan

Status : Carried

Manpower

30. This AGM deplores the reduction in nursing staff in front line services

Proposer: Mayo GP Branch

Status : Carried

Drug Savings Scheme

31. This meeting calls for the reintroduction of the Drugs Saving Scheme

Proposer: Mayo GP Branch

Status : Carried

Professional Competence

32. The IMO oppose the extension of Professional Competence Assurance for GPs until compensation is agreed for loss of income, time commitment and expenses.

Proposer: Mayo GP Branch

Status : Carried

Suicide Prevention

33. This meeting proposes that there should be no financial barrier to people at risk of suicide to accessing GP services.

Proposer: Limerick GP Branch

Status : Referred to Council

Mental Health

34. This AGM demands a comprehensive review of the community aspects of the Mental Health Legislation as it applies to GPs.

Proposer: Mayo GP Branch

Status : Carried