The recommendation to appoint a GP lead in nursing homes – first made five years ago – has yet to be implemented.
The Covid-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel: Final Report, published in 2020, put forward a number of recommendations around nursing home care, including in the area of GP care.
The report recommended that a nursing home’s GP lead, as part of a community support team, should be appointed to work with nursing home staff on oversight and governance, with overall responsibility for clinical governance.
An update on the 2020 report, published in 2024 by the Department of Health, outlined that creating the role was dependent on GP capacity, GP contract negotiations, and funding.
The GP lead post would be a “sessional commitment and remuneration for the post will be specified in a contract between the nursing home and GP lead”, according to the update report.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health told the Medical Independent that “the placement of one GP per nursing home is currently under consideration”.
“A focused piece of research has been commissioned from the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies to explore how health services are provided to nursing homes across Europe,” the spokesperson added.
“Part of this analysis will explore the role of the GP in nursing homes within the selected countries. This research is expected to be concluded by the end of 2025 and will inform considerations.”
A spokesperson for the IMO told this newspaper that “there have been no discussions with the Department of Health or HSE on this matter to date”.
“GP care for patients in nursing homes is governed by the GMS contract which is the same contract which underpins general care in the community. The GMS is an acute care and diagnosis contract. The scope of services provided for in the contract is limited and in many cases not suitable for nursing home care,” the spokesperson stated.
“…. The IMO view is that negotiations are required on a fit-for-purpose contract that would set out the care that is required in nursing homes.” See news feature
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