HSE not holding out much hope of securing a new GP for Templemore

Hundreds of people in the Templemore area are searching for a new GP following the recent retirement of Dr Joe Hennessy.

This is because the HSE has been unable to find a replacement for him despite advertising on two occasions both locally, nationally and in the British Medical Journal.

Since July, there have been eight doctors providing cover in the practice. The Health Service Executive accepts that having this number of doctors covering such a short period of time is not consistent in terms of delivering a quality service and providing continuity of care for patients.

In a statement to Tipp FM the Executive says these difficulties are likely to persist into the future as doctors are either not available or not willing to work in such a rural location.

The plan now is that the other practice in Templemore – which has two GPs in place – will take on the panel of patients on a temporary basis.

This Practice has recruited a new GP who is due to commence with them tomorrow which will give them additional capacity to provide a safe and consistent service to the patients in Templemore and the surrounding area.

Additional nursing and administrative staff are also being taken on to deal with the additional number of patients.