General Practitioner, Medical Services Scheme, Assistant With A View To Partnership In The

In accordance with the terms of the GMS contract the general practitioner awarded a GMS contract will be responsible for the provision to eligible persons, on behalf of the Health Service Executive, all proper and necessary treatment of a kind usually undertaken by a general practitioner and not requiring special skill or experience of a degree or kind which general practitioners cannot reasonably be expected to possess. This will include such preventive and developmental services as are currently provided or may be developed.

The services to be provided under this contract for service should be made available either, as the circumstances may require, at the medical practitioner's surgery or at the person's home or at another place approved by the Health Service Executive within the area of practice.

The medical practitioner shall:

• accept clinical responsibility for persons on his/her list who need medical treatment and treat them or, when the clinical condition is such that it is appropriate to transfer them to appropriate consultant care, do so and accept clinical responsibility for them on becoming aware of their discharge from consultant care.
• use the most efficient and economic forms of treatment or care consistent with the needs of their patients.
• ensure that no discrimination or differentiation is exercised as between the treatment of eligible and private patients within the practice and take reasonable steps to ensure that no such discrimination is perceived.
• furnish to a person whom they have examined and for whom they are obliged to provide services (or, in the case of a child, to the child’s parent) a certificate in relation to any illness noticed during the examination which is reasonably required by them or by the parent as the case may be. Such examinations as the doctor may carry out on a patient prior to the issue to them of first and final Social Welfare certificates are comprehended by the capitation payments. Payment under this contract is not made in respect of certain other certificates required, e.g. under the Social Welfare Acts or for the purposes of insurance or assurance policies or for the issue of driving licenses.
• utilise the appropriate support services including community and diagnostic services when available.
• keep themselves informed of developments in clinical care relevant to general practice.
• reside in their area of practice or within reasonable access to it.

The Medical Practitioner shall co-operate, where possible, in advising the Health Service Executive of known alterations to their list of patients.

The Medical Practitioner shall not change their centre of practice or open additional centres of practice without prior approval from the HSE.

GP Office and clinical accommodation may be available in HSE premises in some Community Healthcare Networks. Arrangements for utilisation of same will be by agreement with the General Manager Primary Care and subject to entering into a GP licence agreement for use of the premises. Details of GP licence agreement is available subject to request.

In the event of a purpose built Primary Care Centre being developed by the HSE in the area, it would be desirable if the Medical Practitioner provided services from this Centre in conjunction with other Healthcare Professionals as it is expected that GP’s will operate within the Community Healthcare Network based model of delivery which is enhanced by co-location.