Minister for Health leases his GP practice in north Dublin

PAUL CULLEN

Minister for Health James Reilly has leased his GP practice in north Dublin to a company providing support services for health professionals.

Primacare, which operates 11 primary care centres around the greater Dublin area, took over management of Dr Reilly’s practice in Lusk in March. The Minister had his name restored to the medical register at this time.

The company says it is not seeking to buy the practice and “there are no discussions to this effect”.

Dr Reilly has not been involved in the day-to-day running of the practice, previously known as the Fingal Clinic, since he became Minister and he receives no payments from the HSE in respect of it.

“Dr Reilly is not seeing or treating patients. The GMS list associated with the practice is directly managed by a locum. All payments from the HSE go to the practice and the range of staff that work there,” his spokesman said.

The Minister no longer owns a smaller practice he formerly operated in Donabate, also in north Dublin, the spokesman said.

Medical register In March, The Irish Times reported that Dr Reilly had his name restored to the register kept by the Medical Council. His reappearance on the register related to a change of locum in the practice at Lusk, the spokesman said.

“The move, for technical reasons, allowed patients who have been attending the practice over many years to continue attending the practice and to enjoy a continuity of care.”

All doctors on the register are legally obliged to show they have carried out a specific amount of professional competence activity each year.

Primacare said it negotiated a long-term lease on commercial terms with agents CBRE on the Fingal Clinic.

“We understand that Minister Reilly is the landlord [or one of them] but we have not had any direct discussions with them.”

Primacare does not hold a GMS contract but one of the doctors currently working in the clinic does, it said.

The company cannot and does not intend to buy a GMS list.

'Stubbs Gazette' The HSE said that where GPs take leave of absence, they are required to have a locum in place to ensure continuity of service.

While they can sell their premises, the GMS list reverts to the HSE, which usually advertises the vacant panel under public competition.

Contracts are with individual doctors and never with corporate entities, according to the HSE.

“The GP’s name is maintained on the GMS Register as are the names of the locum(s) providing services to the panel of patients on the list.”

In 2012, Dr Reilly's name appeared in Stubbs Gazette over a €1.9 million unpaid debt arising from a group investment in a nursing home located in Co Tipperary.

The High Court has ordered that the Greenhills nursing home in Carrick-on-Suir be offered for sale to discharge this debt.

“The process of disposing of the property is under way,” the Minister’s spokesman confirmed.

The property remains on the market at a price of €3.25 million.