Ireland

‘Vital’ out-of-hours GP service in midlands to shut from New Year’s Day

The service, which covers Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath, has come under financial strain

Local TD and former minister Charlie Flanagan called for the Minister for Health to intervene to protect the service. Photograph: Getty Images
Sarah Slater
Mon Dec 26 2022 - 13:20

A vital out of hours GP service in the Midlands is to shut indefinitely from New Year’s Day.

The Midlands GP service MIDOC, which had been running for 20 years, and covers the counties of Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath with a combined population of almost 300,000, has come under financial strain.

Established in 2002, MIDOC was formed by a group of local GPs. The service has been providing attention for patients with urgent medical needs and whose family doctor is part of the MIDOC Co-Op.

Local TD and former minister Charlie Flanagan said on social media that he was “shocked and saddened to hear that the out of hours medical service MIDOC, which is a private company, is closing down from New Year’s Day”.

READ MORE

Deputy Flanagan called on Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly to intervene and “ensure this vital medical service continues for Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath.”

In a statement the HSE said that it was “disappointed” that the out-of-hours service would no longer operate.

The HSE said: “The MIDOC GP Out of Hours Service provides an urgent GP service to patients. HSE Midlands Louth Meath Community Healthcare has been engaging with (them) for a number of months to help address the financial challenges it faced.

“The HSE is disappointed that MIDOC has made the decision to cease trading for an indefinite period, effective midnight December 31st, 2022 when we were looking to provide a sustainable model going forward.”

In the short-term and to mitigate the risks, through a third party the HSE has put in place what it said is “appropriate cover based on normal and scheduled GP Out Of Hours practice and rosters and to ensure that the necessary supports are in place to deliver the best care to our service users, while ensuring that patient safety and quality of service are at the forefront of service delivery.”

In addition the HSE is in the process of seeking an alternative provider which it hopes to have in place in the coming months.

The HSE has said it will continue “to communicate and engage with all relevant stakeholders to ensure they are fully appraised of and consulted on any future developments”.