Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll-MacNeill TD officially opens the Irish College of GPs new headquarters in Hogan Place in Dublin 2.
College highlights the role of General Practice at the centre of an integrated healthcare system, with emphasis on primary care.
The Irish College of GPs is the professional body for general practice in Ireland. The College is the representative organisation for education, training and standards in general practice, with 4,600 members and associates comprising over 85% of practicing GPs in the Republic of Ireland and 1,130 GPs in training.
In an era of expansion in general practice, the College’s new headquarters at 15 Hogan Place represents a vibrant College, 40 years after it was founded to develop the profession of General Practice in Ireland. The new headquarters at 15 Hogan Place provides expanded space to support the College’s growth as the primary training organisation for GPs, as a resource for members to meet and learn, and as a hub for the development of the growing number of staff.
The Chief Medical Officer, Professor Mary Horgan, officially opened the new headquarters on behalf of the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll-MacNeill TD, alongside Dr Deirdre Collins, the Chair of the College’s Board, Dr Nuala O’Connor, the President of the Irish College of GPs, and Mr Fintan Foy, the CEO of the Irish College of GPs.
The President of the College, Dr Nuala O’Connor, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll-MacNeill TD, to officially open our new headquarters today. Today is a historic day for the College, representing the development of general practice at the heart of the delivery of Irish healthcare. As we speak, over 4,600 GPs are providing 21 million consultations to thousands of patients all over the country, in practices large and small, in urban and rural Ireland, at the heart of our communities. We provide a flexible and high-quality service, with continuity of care for our patients, and specialist knowledge of a huge range of diseases.”
The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll-MacNeill TD (in abstentia), said: "General practice is an important partner in the delivery of health services in Ireland. I am delighted that the Irish College of GPs, the HSE, and the Department of Health have been collaborating so well in recent years to improve patient services and to expand the number of GPs caring for patients in Ireland, as well as expanding the range of services provided by GPs. The opening of this new headquarters for the Irish College of GPs will contribute to further growing our GP capacity and improving the care delivered to patients within their local communities."
The Chair of the Board of the College, Dr Deirdre Collins, said: “Education is at the heart of what the College does, and we have evolved from delivering exclusively in-person courses to a dynamic and flexible model that combines hybrid modular courses with on-demand learning. We deliver ongoing learning through our popular online webinars, and in-person conferences which foster connection, collaboration and renewal for our members.”
“Furthermore, our recently established GP Leadership Academy is a bold step forward, equipping GPs with leadership skills for a complex healthcare environment. We aim to foster a network of like-minded GP leaders, to ensure we have GPs who are equipped to shape the future of healthcare in Ireland.”
The CEO of the College, Mr Fintan Foy, said: “This is a significant day for the College. We could not have reached this stage without the ongoing support of the Department of Health, the HSE and the NDTP. This is the 4th anniversary of the transfer of training to the College from the HSE, and we would like to recognise the achievements this partnership has achieved. We now have an annual intake of 350 to our GP Training Programme, which is up from 200 in 2020. Our current cohort of 1300 trainees provides an essential daily service in our healthcare system.”
“But the workforce demands are increasing, due to growing demand and the increased complexity of our modern diseases. We look forward to working with the Minister for Health, her Department, and the HSE, to tackle the workforce challenges, and help us embed general practice at the centre of an integrated health system.”
Photographs supplied by David Coleman of Bobby Studios, 01 6773332.
Aileen O’Meara, Communications Consultant, Irish College of GPs. Tel. 01 2542984 / 087 2239830. Email: media@icgp.ie