Family doctors should assume a more central role in the health service, the chief executive of the Health Service Executive (HSE) told GPs at the weekend.
At the annual winter meeting of the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) on Saturday, Prof Brendan Drumm took up the issue of general practice in healthcare reform. He said the expertise of GPs was not being put to sufficient use, and that a greater role for them would alleviate pressure on hospitals.
This aim was advanced, he said, by commitments given in last week's health Estimates, which indicated that the Department of Health was beginning to make a significant financial contribution to primary care. Minister for Health Mary Harney has promised an additional €16 million for primary services next year. Prof Drumm also called on GPs to innovate and to bring about changes in the way they work.
A spokesman for the HSE said Prof Drumm believes there is "a need to bring a lot of doctors back into the system". There has been an overemphasis on hospital services to date, and the role of GPs has been under-utilised. The spokesman said the planned introduction of a series of national care groups - which will involve consultants, specialist nurses, patients, GPs and other professionals - would simplify delivery in a range of key areas while placing family doctors "at the heart of decision-making" in the system.
The chairman of the ICGP, Dr Éamonn Shanahan, welcomed Prof Drumm's remarks. "Many of the issues raised are ones that we have been raising for quite a while. . ."
