There was reduced pressure on GP out-of-hours services over the Christmas period following implementation of the IMO GP Winter Agreement, the Medical Independent (MI) has been informed. Dr Ken Egan, Mayo-based GP and Chair of the National Association of GP Co-ops, told MI that co-ops managed well over the holiday period. The IMO GP Winter Agreement, which commenced on 8 December and runs until 15 February, was negotiated in November. “So while there were some delays there were not as many as there could have been because we had so many additional resources on hand. These included the additional resources put in place by the co-op, the GP agreement to extend day-time surgery hours, and improvements to the NEDOC phone system.

Source: Irish Independent January 08, 2026 15:25 UTC