Rise in demand for GP OoH services over decade

Demand at GP out-of-hours (OoH) services in Ireland rose by more than a quarter over a 10-year period, new research in BJGP Open has revealed.

The study, titled ‘Out-of-hours general practice care in Ireland: Consultations and emergency department referrals from 2013 to 2022’, shows consultations increased by 26 per cent during the years examined.

Conducted by researchers at the Irish College of GPs and the School of Medicine at the University of Limerick, the research found that around 900,000 consultations were recorded in participating OoH services annually.

Using electronic medical record data from eight large GP co-ops, the study noted that the introduction of free GP care for under-sixes in 2015 resulted in a 17 per cent rise in OoH consultations.

In contrast, the Covid-19 pandemic led to an 18 per cent decrease in consultation volume and fewer face-to-face visits between 2020 and 2022.

Hospital emergency department referral rates remained stable during the 10-year period, staying at around 13 per cent, the study found.

The study outlined that nearly three-quarters of GPs provide care in HSE-supported OoH co-ops.

Some 11 per cent of GPs participate in smaller local rotas and 8 per cent use private deputising services. Nationally, there are 15 co-ops operating out of 91 active locations.

“Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, all GP OoH services, including co-operatives and more local arrangements, provided approximately one million face-to-face visits for patients with public healthcare entitlement annually,” according to the study.

“Using corresponding 2019 data on daytime GP attendance, this OoH workload represents an additional 7 per cent more GP consultations for public patients, over and above the total number of daytime GP public patient consultations.”

The authors state the majority of presentations to GP co-ops are managed in communities, confirming OoH as a “pressure-release valve” for daytime general practice and a “buffer” for emergency departments.

The authors argued that the study highlights the vital role of GP co-ops and demonstrates how electronic medical record data can support improved service planning.

“Investing in robust data infrastructure for OoH co-operatives must be a priority to enable ongoing analysis, service planning, and quality improvement,” they concluded.