Talks are to commence next month between the Government and the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) on a complete review of the State's contract with GPs.

It is understood that the process will look at the scope, content and fee structure to apply under a revised contract.

The new talks will run in parallel to the existing negotiations between the Department of Health and the IMO on Government plans to introduce free GPcare for children under the age of 6.

The IMO said its aim was to ensure that general practice was adequately resourced and sustainable, was supported in developing capacity to take on additional services and was “properly and coherently developed with the emphasis on medical evidence when rolling out universal GP care”.

The chairman ofthe IMO's GP committee Dr Ray Walley said the agreement to commence formal discussions on a new contract was " critical to sustaining and developing general practice".

“A new GP contract is badly needed and after eight years of no discussions and successive years of draconian cuts we need to ensure that the general practice is firstly stabilised then developed. The current system of general practice is starved of resources. Our patients are suffering. Our GP members are under intolerable pressure with more and more emigrating and the crisis in general practice is directly leading to pressures on the hospital system where it is much more expensive to treat patients. ”

Since 2006 there has been little or no progress in updating the State’s contract with GPs for services under the General Medical Services scheme and other schemes, a development which virtually all sides agree is necessary.

The hold-up was due in part to the view of the successive governments that, under competition law, it could not negotiate directly with the IMO on behalf of its GP members in relation to fees.

GPs, unlike other categories of doctors such as hospital consultants, non-consultant hospital doctors or those who specialise in public health, are not employees of the health service but rather are independent contractors.

A deal reached between the IMO and the Department of Health last May gave the doctors' trade union rights to engage with the Minster for Health/HSE on the scope and content of any changes and reforms proposed to the State's publicly funded general practice schemes.

The IMO can also engage with the Minister/HSE in relation to the resources being provided for such developments as well as the fees that would apply.

The IMO can also express its opinions to members on the outcome of any such talks.

However, it cannot make a recommendation to members and must advise them that they have to make up their minds individually and not collectively.

Under the agreement, the IMO cannot organise a collective response by GPs such as withdrawal of services or boycotts of schemes.