Threat to Mayo GP services as retirements loom

MAYO faces a threat of GP shortages as family doctors in single practice retire, with difficulties in replacing them.

The county has a high proportion of single-practice GPs.

Reasons for concern are raised in the General Practice in Ireland: An Analysis of Supply & Demand report, published yesterday. The paper was produced by the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) at the Department of Health.

It shows that regionally, West Galway, Mayo, West Donegal as well as areas around Clare, East Limerick, Tipperary, Wexford and Leitrim show a high proportion of single-practice GPs. Around Mayo, Clare, Wexford, Tipperary and Leitrim, it reveals a high proportion of GPs at risk of retirement.

To compound matters, Leitrim, West Galway and North Mayo have also experienced high population growth so not only is there a risk of the GP workforce decreasing in the coming years, there is likely to also be high and growing service usage.

Should either of these issues arise, there will be areas lacking appropriate coverage of general practice services, the report highlights.

And while short-term spikes in service usage could be provided for, ensuring long-term continuity of care necessitates restructuring to multi-GP practices.

Mulranny-based Dr. Jerry Cowley, who 'reluctantly' retired in January last year as a GP at his single-doctor practice, told today's Irish Independent of the realities on the ground.

When the HSE advertised his vacancy as a GP for around 1,000 General Medical Service (GMS) patients, no doctor would take it on, with the HSE having to hire a temporary locum doctor.

Addressing why young doctors don't see a future in rural practice, he told the newspaper that cuts to GP fees during the economic crash played a part, although they were reversed, while some supports were removed, including distance codes that meant rural GPs received higher fees for patients who lived far from the surgery.

Burnout is also an issue due to the inability to get locums.

Dr. Cowley said he also believes that if the HSE paid to have a second doctor in a practice - rather than relying on the principal GP to fund the salary, which would be unviable - it would allow for natural succession.