Almost 1,000 extra GP's required to meet demand over next 15 years
Clip • 6 Mins • 18 JUN • Morning Ireland
Tadhg Crowley, GP Chair of the Irish Medical Organisation, on new research outlining the projected demand for GP services over the next 15 years.
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RTÉ News
3 days ago
- RTÉ News
Over 900 extra GPs needed over 15 years to meet demand
At least 940 additional general practitioners will be required to meet expected demand over the next 15 years, according to research from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). It says a growing, and to a lesser extent, an ageing population, is behind the reasons for the projected increase in demand for GP services of between 23% and 30% by 2040. It is also expected that demand for general practice nurses will rise in that timeframe. GP Chair of the Irish Medical Organisation, and GP in Kilkenny, Tadhg Crowley, has said Covid-19 interrupted medical practice and made it busier, but things are returning to what is normal. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said general practice is a "great career option" but has "not been seen in this way" in recent years. "It's a great job. Anyone who's considering medicine, I'd always say general practice is a fabulous job to be in. We're facing challenges and ... some of the challenges are age related," he said. Dr Crowley said the sector had a generation of GPs or prospective GPs, wiped out by the Financial Emergency Measures in Public Interests (FEMPI) cuts about 15 years ago, which put people off going into general practice. "So we're starting recovering from that. In terms of job satisfaction, it's still a fabulous job, but I suppose we are facing challenges," he added. He said that Ireland is facing the same problems that the UK faced about 20 years ago and "they got it wrong" and the NHS is failing at general practice level. Dr Crowley said the Government needs to carefully handle the situation to avoid that scenario. "We're facing the challenges that the UK faced 20 years ago, so it's going to be really important to have steady hands in the Department of Health and Government. The UK got it wrong. "The NHS has been destroyed in general practice. And it's really important at this stage that we look at A; the number of medical doctors we trained and B: the number of GPs that we train," he said. Dr Crowley stressed that 40% of GPs are aged over 60 and the country is at a stage in terms of the GP population "that we are facing a crisis and the number of people that will come through there". He said as a result, the number of GP training posts has increased to 350, however it is "not going to come close to the number of GPs that we need in the long term". He said GPs are "at a crossroads" and will have to increase the number of undergraduates trained. "If you don't train enough GPs, what you have is, and we've seen this in other countries, these pop-up medical clinics that have employed doctors that aren't actually GPs," he added. Dr Crowley said the long-term effect in the population is "quite poor". He added that it is a competitive market worldwide for GPs and it is incumbent on those working in the health service to make it an attractive option for graduates. "It is a competitive market worldwide for doctors and I suppose it's incumbent on those working within the health system here to make sure that it's an attractive area for GPs to come back to. "And one of the areas, it's very difficult to set up and practice as a young GP and it's something that I think the Government really need to focus down on," he said. "It's the canary in the mine in terms of general practice, the number of GP lists that are being unfilled at the moment is something that will need to be looked at."
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- RTÉ News
Almost 1,000 extra GP's required to meet demand over next 15 years
Clip • 6 Mins • 18 JUN • Morning Ireland Tadhg Crowley, GP Chair of the Irish Medical Organisation, on new research outlining the projected demand for GP services over the next 15 years.
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- RTÉ News
Organ opt-out law 'changing the narrative', says campaigner
The soft opt-out organ donation law "is changing the narrative around how we think about organ donation", campaigner Orla Tinsley has said. Ms Tinsley received a double-lung transplant in 2017 and made a documentary about her health as waited for the transplant. She also under went a kidney transplant last year. The first phase of the Human Tissue Act 2024 comes into operation today, meaning everybody will be considered an organ donor unless they opt-out or are included in a so-called excluded group. The act will introduce an opt-out system of consent for organ donation and will allow for altruistic living organ donation to strangers. If a person does not register, they will be considered a potential organ donor and the family will be approached to give final consent. "It's still giving some power to the family, which needs to be dealt with through a lot of education," Ms Tinsley said. Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland, she said that organ donation will go from something "we don't want to talk about" to something "that you have to think about", adding, "because if you don't have a conversation with your family member and choose whether you opt in or opt out, then you can't have your wishes followed through with." It has been proven that a soft opt-out alone does not make a big difference to organ donations and she said that while there was a lot of great work being done, more could be done to continue the progress around informing people of organ donation. There should be specific modules taught in schools to teach about organ donation "in a very clear and dedicated way and particularly emphasising what soft opt-out means", she said. Support and education for those waiting on a transplant is also really important, Ms Tinsley added. "The act of becoming an organ donor can save up to eight people's lives. I personally am alive because of two people who decided to be organ donors. It's a miracle of life and a gift of life that is one of the most profound legacies that someone can leave," she said.
