HIQA likely to encompass GPs

The Chief Executive of the ICGP has said it would be ‘unrealistic’ to think that the remit of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) would not be extended to include general practice at some stage in the coming years.
CEO Fionán Ó Cuinneagáin predicted this would be a ‘rigorous process’, given the application to date of the accreditation for nursing homes and other institutions.

Writing in the College’s latest Annual Report, Ó Cuinneagáin said that the Medical Council’s criteria for re-accrediting recognised training bodies was also likely to be a ‘rigorous process’, encompassing GP intern rotations, GP training and all aspects of professional competence.
“The implementation of these developments will place significant demands on members and will have resource implications for the College, the source of which has yet to be defined by the Medical Council,” commented the CEO.
He added it was also likely that the outcome of a review of the structure and governance of GP training would involve the ICGP centrally taking direct responsibility for all aspects of its delivery. “This will be achieved by way of agreement with HSE-METR [Medical Education, Training and Research], including agreed budgets. Again, this change will have resource implications for the College yet to be defined.”
Following the recent retirement of Dr Michael Boland, and with the CEO himself indicating his intention to retire, the College is reviewing its internal organisational structure.
According to outgoing Chairman Dr Mark Walsh, it has been decided to establish three positions into the future: a Chief Executive; a Director of Quality and Standards; and a Chief Operating Officer.