Latest news with #Sláintecare
Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Demand for GP visits to grow 30% in next 15 years, with extra 1,200 doctors needed, report finds
Demand for GP visits is expected to increase by as much as 30% in the next 15 years, with an extra 1,200 doctors needed to keep pace, new research has found. The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) said healthcare reforms may reduce the pressure on hospital services in the medium term, but this will 'inevitably increase the demand for general practice service in the coming years'. 'However, the lack of nationally representative and accessible data on general practice presents a major challenge for effective capacity planning,' its report said. 'It remains unclear whether current measures will be sufficient to meet future demand.' Funded by the Department of Health, the ESRI was asked to research a range of scenarios around population growth and ageing, the pace of health ageing and policy reforms, and the impact all that would have on demand for general practitioners and general practice nurses. It found rising demand for GP services in the future would be largely driven by population growth and, to a lesser extent, the ageing population. Ireland's population is expected to increase from 5.3 million in 2023 to between 5.9 million and 6.3 million by 2040. Meanwhile, the share of the population under 25 is expected to fall, while the population over 50 will increase. While everyone uses GP services, their utilisation tends to increase with age. The ESRI estimated GP consultations would grow from 19.4 million in 2023 to between 23.9 million and 25.2 million by 2040, which is a rise of between 23% and 30%. This will mean between 943 and 1,211 new GPs will be needed across Ireland by 2040, relative to a headcount of 3,928 in 2023. Furthermore, an extra 761 to 868 general practice nurses will be needed. Dr Sheelagh Connolly, lead author of the report and associate research professor at the ESRI, said the findings offer policymakers 'evidence on the scale of workforce expansion needed to meet future demand'. She highlighted Sláintecare reforms as reorientating care towards primary and healthcare settings, such as extending GP visit cards to children under eight, but with the consequence of increasing demand on such services. 'There is already some evidence to suggest that general practice is struggling to meet existing demand,' the report said. 'The recent increase in training places for GPs — from 258 in 2022, to 285 in 2023 and 350 in 2024 — should help increase the number of GPs in the coming years.' However, it added the number of GPs would need to be regularly monitored over time to ensure supply keeps pace. Reacting to the research, minister for health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said it provided 'valuable insights' into the demand for care from general practice for our growing and ageing population. 'It will inform the Government's efforts to collaborate with general practice to enhance its capacity as a core component of healthcare," she added.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Demand for GP consultations could rise by up to 30% over next 15 years as population ages and grows
Demand for consultations with a GP could increase by almost a third over the next 15 years due to a growing and ageing population, research has found. The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) on Wednesday published a report that projects demand for GP consultations could rise by between 23 and 30 per cent, from 19.4 million in 2023 to between 23.9 million and 25.2 million by 2040. It projects an additional 943 to 1,211 GPs could be needed by 2040 to meet this need. There was a GP headcount of 3,928 in 2023. However, this projected figure is based on the current GP-consultation ratio. If GPs were to undertake fewer consultations, for reasons such as higher complexity or reduced working hours, then the number required would increase accordingly, it adds. READ MORE Demand for consultations with general practice nurses is projected to grow from 5.7 million in 2023 to between 7.5 million and 7.8 million by 2040, an increase of between 32 and 36 per cent. This means an additional 761 to 868 general practice nurses will be needed by 2040. The headcount in 2023 was 2,288. According to the report, the level of demand will depend on the uptake of GP visit cards, healthy ageing and engagement with the chronic disease treatment programme . A 'key component' of the Sláintecare health reform proposals is moving healthcare from the hospital model to more primary and community settings, the ESRI notes. A number of policies have been introduced in recent years to achieve this, including the extension of GP visit cards to children under eight and to those below the median income, as well as the development of the chronic disease management programme. [ Up to 6,800 more inpatient beds will be needed by 2040, says ESRI report Opens in new window ] 'While it is anticipated that such reforms may reduce pressures on the hospital sector in the medium term, they will inevitably increase the demand for general practice services in the coming years – increases which come in addition to the significant increase in demand arising from a growing and ageing population.' In the report, the ESRI highlights difficulties in capacity planning in the sector due to a lack of available nationally representative data on general practice. 'A number of measures have already been implemented to increase the general practice workforce, including increasing training places,' the report says. 'However, it is not known if current measures will be sufficient to meet additional demands on general practice in the coming years.' GP shortages have been a growing concern for a number of years, particularly in rural areas, due to many of these practices being solo-run and doctors approaching retirement age. According to the most recent figures from the Irish Medical Council , from last year, almost a third of GPs are aged 55 or older.
Irish Examiner
05-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
New childcare fee cap will not benefit most parents
A new fee cap for early learning and childcare will not have a significant impact for the majority of parents, new figures show. Minister for children Norma Foley announced a maximum fee cap for new and existing services taking part in core funding. Under this, the highest possible fees will be no more than €295 per week for a full day care place that would come in at 40-50 hours a week. However, according to figures from the Department of Children, the highest average fees being paid at the moment is in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area of Dublin at €258. The department said the fee cap will bring fees 'closer to the average weekly fee of €197 for full day care'. The figures, released to Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly, show that Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Meath, and Wicklow are the only counties with a current average above €197. Mr Farrelly said that while he welcomes the announcement, the move falls short of addressing the significant issues facing families who are trying to find a place for their child or workers who do not have pay parity with their peers. The department of education said the cap will bring fees closer to the average weekly fee of €197 for full day care — but Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Meath, and Wicklow are the only counties with a current average weekly fee above €197. iStock 'In recent months, I have met with stakeholders in the early years education and childcare sector such as staff and unions, service providers, and families — who all maintain that the systemic issues facing the sector such as recruitment and retention, access and affordability will not be addressed with increases to funding in the current model,' he said. 'I have consistently asked the minister and this Government to consider establishing a cross-party special Oireachtas committee on the future of childcare and early years education to take a similar approach to Sláintecare which would map out a vision for the future of the sector having heard directly from all stakeholders.' While announcing the fee cap, as well as an increase in investment of €60m, Ms Foley said it would reduce the cost for families who are facing the highest fees across the country in around 10% of early learning and childcare providers. 'It will address some of the extreme fee disparities across the sector in a meaningful way, so that there are more consistent rates in place for families in their local area,' said Ms Foley. During the general election, there was a great deal of talk from the coalition parties, and others, about a maximum payment of €200 per child per month for early learning and childcare, a promise which Ms Foley said would be kept. 'I have been very clear that we will do that over the lifetime of this Government so it will be incremental. "Like the steps we take today, we are starting at the very top where there is an extraordinary high cost to parents and we are beginning to bring that down as we have seen over the last number of years,' said Ms Foley. The core funding scheme is now in its fourth year and despite a warning last year that there would be a mass exodus of providers, Ms Foley said there has actually been a net increase of 226 providers. Among the issues raised by frustrated providers was struggling to retain staff in a competitive labour market but it is hoped that the €45m ringfenced for the increased minimum pay rates for the sector will help to remedy this issue.
The Journal
28-05-2025
- Health
- The Journal
Delay to plans to have pharmacies prescribe for UTIs, thrush, and coldsores in Ireland
PLANS TO HAVE pharmacies across Ireland prescribing medications for common conditions including uncomplicated urinary tract infections, vulvovaginal thrush, cold sores and other common conditions have been delayed. The then-Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said in August last year that it was his department's intention that pharmacies would be prescribing for eight common conditions by the start of 2025. Now an implementation oversight group is working towards a date 'by the end of 2025″ for delivering the so-called 'common conditions service' in pharmacies. The Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has made it clear that completing this work this year, and to see pharmacies begin to provide this service within the year is a matter of priority for her. A spokesperson for the Department of Health said that an oversight group is currently working to finalise the clinical protocols, education and training for pharmacists, a package of required regulations, and operational aspects of the service. The Irish Pharmacists Union (IPU) warned in August of 2024 that there was considerable work to be done before the scope of the work done in pharmacies could be expanded. In August of last year Tom Murray, the President of the IPU, said that community pharmacists were effectively being paid less than they were in 2009 and that it was not 'acceptable' for the Department to layer on new schemes to an 'already underfunded and resourced group of healthcare professionals'. Advertisement A spokesperson for the IPU told The Journal that the move to have pharmacies prescribe for common conditions was on foot of a recommendation of an expert taskforce to expand of the role of pharmacists in Ireland. The Minister for Health then set up a community pharmacy expansion implementation oversight group made up of representatives from the Department of Health, the Health Service Executive, the IPU, the Health Products Regulatory Authority and the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland. The IPU said that the work of this group is still ongoing with the aim of having all enablers to support the delivery of a common conditions service in place by the year end. Pharmacies have been able to prescribe for common conditions like UTIs, which often see women in particular requiring antibiotics, since 2023. The original taskforce was established in July of 2023, consisting of 13 experts who represented many of the main stakeholders involved, and it delivered its final report in August 2024. Its report said that pharmacies should be able to prescribe for allergic rhinitis, cold sores, conjunctivitis, impetigo, oral thrush, shingles, uncomplicated UTIs and vulvovaginal thrush. The then-Minister for Health said that the move would alleviate pressure on GPs – one of the key aims of the Sláintecare health reform strategy. It would also potentially see a lesser cost attached to treating common health conditions, including those that can impact some women and men on a recurring basis, such as UTIs and thrush. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
13-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Tánaiste to tell Cabinet tariffs will remain regardless of EU-US deal
Tariffs are likely to remain in place even if the EU is able to reach a deal with the US, Tánaiste Simon Harris is set to tell Cabinet. Mr Harris is to update Government on the progress of EU-US trade talks, in the wake of an agreement being signed between the US and Britain last week. The foreign affairs minister is due to tell Cabinet that the US-UK agreement will formalise and solidify tariffs, it is understood. This is despite both Ireland and the EU seeking a free trade deal which removes barriers as well as lowers, or in some areas, abolishes tariffs altogether. However, Mr Harris will say that an initial analysis of the deal does appear to have averted the prospect of different tariff rates on both sides of the border. It's understood the Tánaiste has been in contact with EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic in recent days, after the Commission revealed its proposed countermeasures, to outline Ireland's position. It's expected there will be further engagement with Mr Sefcovic at the EU's foreign affairs council later this week. The Cabinet will also be updated by education minister Helen McEntee on Leaving Cert reform, which is due to begin its first phase this September. The reforms include project work, known as additional assessment components, to be worth 40% of a students total grade in a subject. Both teacher unions, the ASTI and TUI, are due to ballot their members on the proposals after new supports were confirmed. Additionally, health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill will ask the Government to approve the new 2025 Sláintecare implementation plan, alongside the 2024 progress report. It is understood the progress report outlines a reduction in cumulative daily trolley counts by 11% compared to 2023, despite an 8% increase in patients attending emergency departments. It also details that 95% of GPs have signed up oto the chronic disease management programme, with 650,000 patient reviews last year. Meanwhile, housing minister James Browne will seek Cabinet approval to extend the First Home shared equity scheme for another two years, alongside providing a further €30m in funding. A Government source said the extra funding will match commitments by banks participating in the scheme – AIB, Bank of Ireland and PTSB.
