ICGP working with Crowe on GP training budget

The ICGP has engaged Crowe management consultants to help prepare a budget for GP training as part of the transfer process from the HSE, College CEO Mr Fintan Foy told its virtual AGM on Saturday (22 May).

Over the last two months, Crowe had met with all 14 training programmes and gathered a “huge amount of data” that will facilitate the College to present a budget for GP training.

Legal advice on the transfer process is being provided by Mason, Hayes & Curran.  

Mr Foy added the College had “very positive engagement with the HSE”.

“So there is a commitment on both sides to ensure the funding required for GP training will be obtained. It will not be the same budget as was being presented back in 2018, and there is an acceptance that for us to grow GP training we will require an acceptable budget to do so.”

The data being collected will be finalised shortly and “the formal negotiations around that” will commence with the HSE.

The College CEO also noted that it paused the transfer process until the resolution of industrial relations issues affecting programme directing teams. Staff transferred to the College in March.

Mr Foy was responding to concerns raised by Dr Roddy Quinn during a motion asking members to approve the transfer of training. A commitment had been made at the 2018 AGM that this issue would be put to members.

While recognising the hard work of the College to date, Dr Quinn had said “there is still much uncertainty and no little trepidation remains at some of the GP training sites “

“A lot of staff are retiring soon and all programmes have been asked by the HSE to take on up to 33 per cent more trainees apparently with, at most, a cursory examination of the local implications of such a request. Also it has not been possible, to my knowledge, to reveal the budget for the continuation of GP training under the aegis of the College.”

ICGP representatives outlined a range of internal and external expertise and processes that were providing oversight to the financial and legal aspects of the transfer.

The motion approving the transfer of training was supported by members.