Two vacant GP positions in Mayo

THERE are two vacant GP positions in Co. Mayo and efforts to fill them have to date proved unsuccessful.

An update on the number of vacancies and how long they have been vacant for was requested by Councillor Michael Kilcoyne at the monthly Health Forum West meeting.

He was told there are two GP positions currently vacant in Mayo. One is in Achill, which has been vacant since July 2020. The second is in Charlestown - vacant since January 2022.

Both have been advertised on a number of occasions without success.

However, the positions are filled by GPs employed through a locum agency, so there has been no disruption in services to the patients.

Councillor Kilcoyne also queried what percentage of GP positions in the county are filled by people not on the specialist GP register.

In a written reply, he was told: It became a requirement in 2012 that GPs joining the GMS Scheme had to be on the specialist register. All GPs who joined the GMS Scheme in Mayo since 2012 have satisfied this requirement. Prior to this date GPs were not required to be on this register when they became GMS contract holders.

In Mayo, 16% of GPs joined the scheme prior to 2012 and as result are not on the specialist register in the specialty of General Practice with the Irish Medical Council.