Athlone MIDOC service believes it is 'unaffected' by HSE MIDOC announcement

The MIDOC service in Athlone believes it is unaffected by the shock announcement by the HSE that the MIDOC GP Out of Hours service provided in the midlands is to cease on midnight, December 31.

The HSE issued a statement over Christmas outlining that it was putting in an interim solution in the short term after what it described as the decision by MIDOC to cease trading.

However, John Brennan, business manager of the MIDOC service in Athlone, has said doctors in Athlone/Moate and Glasson areas manage their own MIDOC service independently of the rest of the midlands.

"We have had no communications from the HSE on this whatsoever. We are aware there were discussions in other areas, but we believe we are unaffected," he said.

It's understood the Athlone/Moate and Glasson GPs opted not to join the other services in the Midlands a number of years ago when there was a change in structure of the MIDOC system. They continue to manage and operate their own MIDOC service. However, it is part of a centralised MIDOC triage system with callers first assessed by medical professionals at a Tullamore call centre.

Mr Brennan said MIDOC in Athlone is seeking urgent clarification on the announcement from the HSE and was not aware the HSE would be issuing the statement.

He said the MIDOC service in Athlone operates independently of the other areas.

In its statement over Christmas, the HSE said it had GPs had been discussing the financial challenges facing the service.

The HSE has said that it has put in place cover through a third party in the interim to continue the service and is seeking an alternative provider in the longer term.

MIDOC also serves Mullingar, Tullamore, Longford and Portlaoise.

In its statement, the HSE Midlands Louth Meath Community Healthcare said it had been “engaging with MIDOC GPOOH (General Practitioners Out of Hours) for a number of months to help address the financial challenges it faced”.

“The HSE is disappointed that MIDOC has made the decision to cease trading for an indefinite period, effective midnight 31 December 2022 when we were looking to provide to provide a sustainable model going forward.

“In the short-term and to mitigate the risks, through a third party the HSE has put in place appropriate cover based on normal and scheduled GPOOH practice and rosters and to ensure that the necessary supports are in place to deliver the best care to our service users, while ensuring that patient safety and quality of service are at the forefront of service delivery.

“In addition the HSE is in the process of seeking an alternative provider which we hope to have in place in the coming month. The HSE will continue to communicate and engage with all relevant stakeholders to ensure they are fully appraised of and consulted on any future developments.”

Only last week, the HSE in advertisements in local media highlighted the hours of operation of MIDOC over the Christmas/New Year period, extending up to January 3, with no reference to it closing on December 31.