ICGP AGM

The ICGP Annual General Meeting was held in the Radisson Hotel from the 12th-14th of May with over 200 GPs in attendance.

Friday 12th May

The AGM opened with the CME small group tutor workshop. A discussion of the draft of the GP Core Curriculum took place in closed session and was facilitated by Dr Margaret O'Riordan.

A research workshop - from research idea to publication - hosted by the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP), in association with the Association of University Departments of General Practice in Ireland (AUDGPI took place on Friday afternoon. This workshop, facilitated by Dr Claire Collins (ICGP Director of Research) featured three GP research case studies highlighting the progression from research idea to study completion and on to publication. The purpose of this workshop was to present practical advice and assistance to GPs conducting research, and the discussion centred on the process followed, obstacles encountered and the solutions implemented in each case study.

A number of speakers presented at the College Forum on Friday evening, chaired by Dr Fiona Graham. The title of this year's Forum was 'The Evidence' and delegates heard from a number of speakers including:

• Prof Andrew Murphy (Dept of General Practice, NUIG) on the 'The effects of capitation and fee for service on the consultation process; a cross sectional study'.
• Karen Thompson and Dr Dermot O'Reilly (Dept of Epidemiology and Public Health, QUB) on 'Access to the GP in Ireland and Northern Ireland including the effects of consultation charge'.
• Dr Susan Smith (Senior Lecturer in Primary Care, Dept of Public Health and Primary Care, TCD) on the 'Feminisation of general practice and medicine'.

(from l-r) Prof Colin Bradley, Mr Fionan O'Cuinneagain and Dr Dermot O'Reilly

(from l-r) Dr Karen Thompson, Dr Fiona Graham and Dr Dermot O'Reilly

Saturday 13th May

On Saturday, a number of workshops were held covering a wide range of topics including an update on men's health, the role of the GP in the nursing home, human resource compliance and the GP employer's rights. All workshops were well attended.

The development of a special card for diabetes patients won the annual quality improvement awards. Dr Sean Bourke, a GP from Leitrim, developed the patient-held diabetic card to allow for ongoing evaluation of the patients' illness. Dr Bourke said he hopes the card will be a motivational tool for patients to become involved in managing their illness, empowering them to take control of their condition instead of being controlled by it. The three other top entries were the development of a repeat drug prescription policy and drug record card; a system to keep track of the different stages in administration and payment for the Primary Childhood Immunisation scheme; and a procedure to handle patient comments and complaints in general practice.

The winning GP registrar research poster presentation revealed a major difference of opinion between patients and doctors as to whether the morning-after pill should be available over-the-counter. Dr Fionnuala Murphy, a registrar with the Cork GP Specialist Training Scheme, surveyed patients and doctors on their attitudes to the availability of the morning-after pill. While two-thirds of patients supported a move to over-the-counter availability without the need for a prescription, the same proportion of doctors were opposed to the idea.

Dr Fionnuala Murphy receiving her prize for her award winning poster on attitudes of patients and doctors to the morning after pill.

The College Symposium was held on the topic of 'Opportunity for Change?' and was chaired by Finbarr Corkery, Past President of the ICGP. Prof Tom O'Dowd outlined the findings of a major new survey of Irish GPs, Structure of General Practice in Ireland: 1982-2005. The study, carried out at the Department of General Practice at Trinity College, Dublin follows up two previous studies done in 1982 and 1992 and provides a picture of the changing face of general practice in Ireland over that period. It shows that GPs are generally older and numbers have increased by 28% since the second survey carried out in 1992, with women now constituting 30% of the GP workforce. It finds that female GPs want to retire earlier than their male counterparts and there are disproportionately more women GPs in the early years of practice. The survey shows that 40% of GPs are now working in out-of-hours cooperatives, and there has been a fall in the number of individual GPs providing out-of-hours cover during the week and at weekends. The study also shows that there has been a fall in the number of private practices and a rise in the number of additional services being provided by GPs such as travel medicine and phlebotomy. Overall, the authors of the study say it shows that GPs are better trained than before and increasingly working in partnerships and teams in improved custom built centres funded through drug budget savings and personal capital.

Other speakers at the symposium included Dr Simon Morgan (RACGP) on 'The Australian Experience', Dr CJ (Kees) i'nt Veld (Netherlands College of General Practitioners) on 'Healthcare in the Netherlands - Fundamental Changes' while Dr Eamonn Shanahan (ICGP Chairman) spoke about 'The ICGP Vision'.  

Sunday 14th May

On Sunday Donegal GP, Dr Declan Bonnar, accepted the chain of office from outgoing president, Dr Michael Flynn, at the closing ceremony of the AGM. The newly elected vice-president is Dr Charles Daly from Waterford.

Dr Declan Bonnar, accepting the chain of office from outgoing President, Dr Michael Flynn, at the closing ceremony of the AGM

Prof Colin Bradley (Department of General Practice, UCC) delivered the foundation lecture: 'Being a Doctor and Practising Medicine - the Challenge of General Practice' which was well received by all attendees.

Prof Colin Bradley delivering the foundation lecture

At the close of the AGM, Chief Executive Fionan O'Cuinneagain remarked on the success of the event: "This annual conference, our 22nd, followed on our highly successful conference of 2005 providing for the needs and interests of a wide range of members who deemed the conference, including the workshops, as highly relevant and informative."

Photos from the Conference

Dr Michael Flynn, Prof Tom O'Dowd and Dr Declan Bonar

Prof Colin Bradley, Mr Fionan O'Cuinneagain and Dr Dermot O'Reilly

Dr Jean Murphy, Western GP Training Programme

Dr Joan Mulqueen, Western GP Training Programme

Dr Jean Murphy, Mr Fergus Cafferry (St James Hospital) and Dr Joan Mulqueen

Dr Michael Costello, Mr Colin McGlynn, Mr John Horgan, Dr Michael Flynn, Mr Dermot Folan and Dr Madeline McCarthy

Dr Pat Durcan, Dr Illona Duffy and Dr Kevin Flanagan

Dr Brigid O'Brien, Dr Finbarr Corkery and Dr Paddy Henry

Prof Colin Bradley delivering the foundation lecture