New contract talks ‘after eight years’

The IMO GP Committee has secured a commitment from the Department of Health and the HSE to commence substantive talks on a new GP contract to replace the 40-year-old GMS contract. A parallel process has commenced with talks continuing on free GP care for the under-sixes, and the first talks for the new GP contract are scheduled for October.  The IMO said that after eight years of “no discussions” and successive years of “draconian cuts”, its aim was to ensure that general practice was adequately resourced and sustainable. IMO GP Chair Dr Ray Walley reiterated the union’s opposition to the…