Change to Midoc GP service in Midlands but no deal in Laois

The HSE and Laois GPs remain embroiled in a dispute over out-of-hours care which blew up last Christmas.

While it's understood that doctors in Longford and Offaly have reached agreement to move into the Caredoc out-of-hours network, Laois GPs have yet to make up their minds on accepting a similar deal to join.

An interim solution was put in place in January after a company that provided doctors to the Midoc services ceased to operate on the instigation of doctors in a row over pay and conditions.

MIDOC GP CLG coordinated the rotas and payments for the local and locum GPs who worked in the out-of-hours service for Laois, Offaly, Mullingar and Longford. It ceased trading on December 31.

There were fears that this would collapse the service but the HSE agreed an interim arrangement on doctor cover with GPs and their representative body.

The HSE Midlands Louth Meath CHO said in January it would seek an alternative provider with a view to having that provider in place shortly. It has now emerged that the transition to a new system has advanced in a piecemeal way.
Longford Fianna Fáil TD Joe Flaherty revealed that Caredoc was stepping in to fill the gap in his county from Monday, August 28.

“It is disappointing that there has been so little consultation with staff but it ends uncertainty over Longford ‘out of hours’ GP service since Christmas,” he said on social media.

The Leinster Express / Laois Live understands that a similar agreement has been reached that would see Caredoc moving into Offaly and Westmeath.

However, the future of the Laois service has yet to be clarified.

It's understood that Laois GPs received a presentation from Caredoc but that another proposal to run the service was also made.

They were split 50/50 on the Caredoc plan partially because the rotas offered were not as attractive as the current arrangement.

They voted to give more time to another company to make a detailed pitch to run the service in Laois. It's understood that they will decide on this in the coming weeks.

Doctors in Laois and other counties were angry with the HSE over the operation of the service in the years before the plug was pulled on Midoc GP CLG.

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A source said that the HSE was paying everyone from drivers to nurses but that doctors went on paid for a whole year.

The GPs remain anxious to see a report on the service commissioned by the HSE at Christmas. Price Waterhouse Coopers were hired by the HSE to assess the 'financial challenges' in running.

More than 100,000 contacts were made from people in the Midlands with Midoc in 2022 when the service cost €8 million to run.

In early 2023, the issue was raised in the Dáil with the HSE and the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar by Brian Stanley TD. 

"Out-of-hours GP services, which are really important, have evolved on an ad hoc basis," said Mr Varadkar.

Dep Stanley was among a number of public representatives who claimed that the issue put extra strain on Portlaoise hospital because the public believed Midoc had ceased to operate.