HEALTH Minister Michelle O’Neill says her department is working closely with local GPs to ensure South East Fermanagh will still have access to “high quality” services once a number of imminent retirements take place in the area.

General Practitioners in Fermanagh held a ‘crisis meeting’ a fortnight ago, agreeing to sign an undated resignation in a bid to place pressure on the department to address the huge pressure services in this area are under.

In a written answer to SDLP MLA, Richie McPhillips, who requested an update on the future of GP practices in Fermanagh, Ms. O’Neill said she was “aware of the pressures facing GP services in the Fermanagh and South Tyrone area”. 

“In Tyrone, a new partnership, Western Rural Healthcare, has been in place since April 2016 following the amalgamation of three GP practices,” she explained before adding. 

“This new partnership has been able to attract a number of younger GPs to work as part of its team, and ensure that the full range of general medical services are available across all three sites.

“More broadly, my Department has made a number of investments in recent years to help address the pressures facing GPs, including those in rural areas. This includes significant investment aimed at increasing capacity, meeting the rising demand for services, increasing the GP workforce, and building the wider primary care team.”

The Health Minister said she was committed to further enhancing primary care services. 
“The future model of primary care is to be based on multi-disciplinary teams embedded around general practice,” she said. 
“By March 2017, every GP practice will have a named district nurse, health visitor and social worker to work with. I will also support the development of new roles such as Physician Associate and Advanced Nurse Practitioners.

“I have already taken steps to increase the number of GPs in training,” she added. This represents an increase of more than 70 per cent in GP training places within a three year period. 
“I have also indicated my commitment to redirect funding for undergraduate training so that undergraduate medical students get more experience of general practice. 

“Other initiatives are also in place including a GP retainer scheme launched earlier this year which provides support and mentoring to GPs who might otherwise have been lost to general practice.”

“In addition, I have committed to further investment in technology to help free up GP time, through the continued rollout of the AskMyGP online and telephone triage system. I will also bring forward a consultation on the role of GP Federations here and whether they should become health service bodies.”