Introduction of free GP care for children under six increases GP visits in Ireland

A paper published in this month’s Irish Medical Journal highlights an estimated three-quarters of a million extra GP visits per year with the introduction of free GP care for children under six. The study examined 1931 children at six practices selected to be comparable to Ireland’s national population and evaluated the current landscape in service demand and expected impact of the new programme due to be rolled out in June of this year.

The study found that if all children under six have free point of access GP care, then Ireland’s health system should plan for an additional 750,000 GP consultations per year. The authors found that the rate of GP attendance visits for private patients is 2 per year and 5 per year for those with free GP care.

Dublin GP and lead author of the study, Dr William Behan explains: “The study also highlights the need for accurate data to establish effective and sustainable models of healthcare and the importance of information from general practices themselves in planning these models.”

UL Foundation Professor of General Practice and practising GP, Dr Walter Cullen explains the significance of the study: “Every GP in Ireland would welcome any policy that will enhance access to primary care by removing financial barriers. General practice has been pivotal to the successful establishment of Ireland’s newest medical school at the University of Limerick, and is supported by a network of more than 100 teaching practices across Ireland. GPs have been telling us in recent weeks that this proposal cannot be safely implemented within existing resources and capacity. Our study data support this message, and suggests it will also impact across the system - especially on our colleagues in Paediatrics and Primary Care Teams."