GPWorks

In this episode of GP Works, the progress of the College's Leadership Academy is explored through the insights of two GP participants, Dr Aoife Moloney and Dr Sinead Cronin. They discuss their learning experiences, the impact on their work, and the significance of stepping back from daily pressures to reflect on their roles as GPs and leaders in their communities.

#58 Revising the Training Curriculum by Irish College of General Practitioneres

In this episode, Tallaght GP Dr Alina Zidaru introduces us to NEGS, the network that supports newly emerging GPs. She explains why she changed from a career in Paediatrics to a career as a GP. Dr Zidaru brings her experience of setting up a new single-handed practice to her role as Director of NEGS, the Network of Newly-Emerging GPs. This network supports and mentors new GPs who are setting up the...

The College's 2025/2026 President Dr Nuala O'Connor describes her passion for the role of the GP as a patient advocate, and the importance of leadership at local, regional and national level, as she begins her presidency. Listen for fresh insights into a GP who's grown a thriving practice in Cork city, combined with an invaluable contribution to the College. This podcast is produced and presented...

In this episode, the Chair of the Board of the Irish College of GPs, Dr Deirdre Collins, described the importance and aims of the new Leadership Academy, in which the College hopes to develop awareness of the leadership skills of GPs in their everyday roles, with their Practice teams, and in the development of GP-centred health policy. The College's first Programme begins in September 2025, and ap...

In this episode, Prof. Susan Smith brings strong insights into the varied life of a GP and academic. She describes how she became a GP, and the journey into academic general practice. Sharing her time between the Russell Centre in Tallaght, where we recorded this, and her part time role in general practice in Inchicore, Dr Smith describes her passion for general practice, and her work in highlight...

In this episode, Dr Mike O'Callaghan takes us into the fascinating world of GP data, an area that enables us to learn more about the impact of general practice on Irish healthcare. Formerly with Intel, Mike changed career to general practice and works in a busy practice in Bruff, Co. Limerick, juggling this with his role as the Clinical Lead in the Research, Policy and Information Department of th...

At the end of a very busy year for the Irish College of GPs, our CEO Fintan Foy reflects back on 2024, and reviews the challenges of a rapidly expanding College in 2025. This interview gives a great insight and update on the work of the Irish College of GPs, and the plans ahead. For more about the Irish College of GPs, go to www. IrishCollegeofGPs.ie Presented and produced by Aileen O'Meara. To co...

The College's President, Dr Pat Durcan, has been a GP in Mayo, and CME trainer in Galway or 40 years, and brings a depth of knowledge and expertise to his role. In this interview, he described how becoming a GP was a very different experience back in 1980s Ireland, when the College had not yet been formed, and Dr Michael Boland had just begun his pioneering efforts to transform the training of GPs...

As the College celebrates its 40th anniversary, we talk to Fionán Ó'Cuinneagáin, the College's first CEO, who helped guide the fledgling College from its earliest days. His insights are a reminder of the huge strides that General Practice has taken in the recognition of the specialty in the Irish health service, and the challenges it faced from the beginning. The College has published a history of...

Recently qualified GP Dr Oisin Brady Bates explains why he is attending the prestigious WONCA Europe conference in Dublin at the end of September. Find out more about this conference and the pre-conference events at www.woncaeurope2024.org Dr Brady Bates is co-chair of the Social Committee of WONCA Europe, and a member of the EYFDM - the European Young Family Doctors Movement. He's the lead for th...

In this episode, the Director of Women's Health, Dr Laura Cullen, describes the influence of Dr Austin O'Carroll in her decision to become a GP; how the city-born GP became a rural doctor, the challenges of rural general practice, and her ambitions for developing the work of GPs in Women's Health services. GP Works is presented and produced by Aileen O'Meara, for the Irish College of GPs. You can...

Did you know that the ICGP is hosting the Wonca Europe conference in Dublin in September? Thousands of GPs will gather for several days in the Convention Centre in Dublin in late September to hear the latest developments, terrific insights into family practice, and have the great opportunity to hear from our European peers. Dr Andrée Rochfort is a GP in Wexford, and the Co-Chair of the Scientific...

Dr Noreen Lineen-Curtis is a GP on 3 western islands off the coast of Mayo - Clare Island, Achill Beg and Inishbiggle. She's been a GP for over 20 years, and is the daughter of a GP as well. She describes how telemedicine and remote medicine is making a huge difference to ensuring patients can have consultations with hospital based consultants without leaving the island. She also gives due credit...

In a wide-ranging interview, well-known GP Dr Rita Doyle gives us her insights and experience of 40 years in general practice, in Bray Co. Wicklow. She was the first GP to become President of the Medical Council, and she was also President of the ICGP. Dr Doyle reflects on the importance of the doctor-patient relationship, and continuity of care that general practice provides. This podcast is prod...

DR Suzanne Kelly talks about taking on the role of Assistant Medical Director of the Irish College of General Practitioners, following a successful few years as Clinical Lead for Diabetes. Ballincollig-based, and Dublin born and bred, Dr Kelly talks about why she chose general practice, the influence of her GP parents, and the importance of encouraging women to becoming leaders in general practice...

Prof. Claire Collins has been Chief Operating Officer for 14 months now, succeeding Dermot Folan in the ICGP's pivotal role at a time of huge expansion and change in the College. Most people in the College knew Claire as the Director of Research, a role she held for 18 years. In this interview she gives her insights into the challenges of the new role and how she addresses them. GP Works is presen...

The ICGP's new Board chair, Dr Deirdre Collins, a GP in Kilcullen, Co Kildare, talks about how she became a GP, new leadership initiatives, and how the College can help with the growing workload facing GPs and their practices. The GP Works podcast is presented and produced by Aileen O'Meara, for the Irish College of General Practitioners. To contact the podcast, email media@icgp.ie To find out mor...

The ICGP's new President Dr Eamonn Shanahan is the third generation of Shanahans to provide general practice to the communities around Farranfore, in Co Kerry. In this podcast interview, he talks about how general practice has changed over the past 20 years, the challenges of GP workloads and recruiting GPs in rural areas, and the recognition that the new generation of GPs expect a good work-life...

The ICGP, with the support of the HSE and the Department of Health, has begun the non-EU Rural GPprogramme, an initiative to enable non-EU highly qualified GPs to work in mostly single-handed GP practices in rural Ireland. With the continuing shortage of GPs and growing workforce pressures, the ICGP's Medical Director, Dr Diarmuid Quinlan, explains the context behind this initiative. To find out m...

Dr Edel McGinnity is a GP in Blanchardstown, in west Dublin, and sees at firsthand the pressures of the crisis in children's mental health services. GPs are the first port of call for families with children in distress, and mental health problems are particularly acute in areas of disadvantage, which includes her catchment area. In this interview, Dr McGinnity gives an insight into the dilemmas of...

Following a successful pilot during the pandemic, the ICGP's Mentoring Programme is now available for individual doctors who would like a mentor to help them with a particular issue in their practice. What is mentoring and how does it work? And what is is not? In this episode Dr Knut Moe, the Project Lead for the Mentoring programme, and Executive Coach and professor Mentor expert Hannah Carney jo...

Are you a doctor with little work-life balance, putting others' needs before yours? In this episode, we discuss doctors' health and wellbeing with Dr Andrée Rochfort, a GP in Gorey Co. Wexford, and the Director of the ICGP's Doctors' in Health Programme. She describes the culture of putting others first, and the importance of self-care for your physical and psychological health. Dr Rochfort explai...

A year ago, Russian forces invaded Ukraine, resulting in tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees seeking homes and shelter across Europe and the world. In Ireland, we have taken in nearly 50,000 Ukrainian refugees to date, and the healthcare system has responded. In this episode, Ukrainian-born GP and the ICGP/HSE Lead in the Ukrainian healthcare response, Dr Kateryna Kachurets, describes the Iris...

In this episode, the Chief Executive Officer of the Irish College of General Practitioners, Fintan Foy, discusses the ICGP's Strategy - "Navigating the Future of General Practice 2023 - 2026", which sets out a roadmap for the College at a time of a challenging GP workforce crisis and a rapid expansion of the College's staff numbers and training responsibilities. To read the full Strategy go to thi...