GPs have insisted that their surgeries cannot become a ‘dumping ground' for Emergency Department (ED) problems.

They made their comments in light of the ongoing overcrowding problem in Dublin's Beaumont Hospital. The hospital has asked people who are considering attending the ED to contact their GP instead and if possible ‘to avoid or delay their visit to the department'.

It has also asked GPs not to send patients to the ED ‘unless absolutely necessary'.

According to Dr Ray Walley, chairman of the GP Committee of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), GPs should not be expected to resolve the crisis in Beaumont's ED.

"While GPs provide exceptional care in the community, their surgeries are not equivalent to EDs and no attempt should be made to make that the case. Patients in acute need of a full range of diagnostic tools and treatment services must have access to EDs to ensure their care and safety," he commented.

He said that the problems in Beaumont's ED, and indeed in other hospitals, have occurred for a number of reasons including a reduction in the overall number of acute hospital beds and a failure by the Government and HSE to recruit and retain trained doctors and nurses.

He also pointed to the ‘chronic lack of appropriate facilities' for patients who require extended long-term care or rehabilitation, such as older patients who remain in hospital even though they no longer require acute care, but have nowhere else to go.

"The IMO rejects any suggestion that general practice should be used as a fall back for ED services. General practice is a vital part of our health system and should be resourced to deal with the already overwhelming demands being put on it by increased workload and reduced funding," Dr Walley added.