Irish GP training transfers from HSE to ICGP
Crowe consulting works alongside Irish College of General Practitioners to help secure historic agreement.
On Saturday 16 October, the board of the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) gave formal approval to the transfer of General Practice training from the HSE to the ICGP. This was the culmination of many years of engagement and negotiations by the college & HSE representatives.
Crowe’s consulting team has worked closely with the ICGP since 2018, initially leading the work of the Task Force established to consider the transfer of GP training from the HSE to the College, and over the course of 2021 providing expertise in relation to project management, implementation planning, service costing and other matters. This work has been led by Hugh Sullivan and Catherine Rogers, both senior managers within our consulting practice, with input from other team members.
Shane McQuillan, Engagement Partner for our work with the ICGP, commented: “The signing of the legal transfer documents marks a momentous day for the College and for the HSE, and will further enable the development of general practice in Ireland. The 2020 Programme for Government stressed the importance of strengthening general practice by implementing the new contract with GPs, sustaining out-of-hours and rural services, and increasing GP training places, including for GPs with Special Interest qualifications – taking pressure off our hospital system and ensuring the delivery of expert care at local level.
Crowe has been delighted to work with the ICGP on this vital initiative since 2018, and we look forward to continuing our work with the College on the development of the new model for GP training, and to the benefits this will bring to Irish healthcare.”
Commenting on the agreement, the Chair of the ICGP, Dr John Farrell stated: “This is a historic day for the College, GP training scheme educators, trainers, trainees and indeed for Irish General Practice. The ambition of the College as a Postgraduate Training Body has been to hold full responsibility for General Practice training, and this has been a core objective since its foundation. For many years, it has been our ambition to grow GP training, and to make every effort to increase the number of GPs in the community to enable a well-resourced delivery of patient care.”
Welcoming this milestone development, Dr Colm Henry, HSE’s Chief Clinical Officer, expressed his optimism that the new organisational delivery model for GP Training being implemented by the ICGP will prove to be a key enabler for the planned enhancement of the capacity of GP Training Programmes. “This development will be a cornerstone of the HSE’s and ICGP’s efforts to meet the workforce challenges in General Practice in the years ahead”, he said.
Crowe’s consulting department has extensive experience helping and advising clients in Ireland across diverse sectors, from multinational organisations and major public bodies to local businesses and not-for-profit entities.
