GP Visit Cards for Children Aged 6 and 7 years
From 11th of August 2023, eligibility for GP Visit Cards (Doctor Visit Cards or DVC) has been extended to children aged 6 and 7. At Sirona Medical, both Dr Alex McVey and Dr Marie Fox have agreed to participate in the extension of GP Visit Cards to our existing patients.
While the entitlement to a GP Visit Card is automatic, in most cases, a parent or guardian must apply for a card.
You need to register your child for a new GP visit card if:
- Your child turned 6 before 1st of July 2023.
- Your child is aged 7.
- Your child has never had a GP Visit Card and is aged between 0 and 7 years old (Children are eligible for a GP Visit Card until the day before their 8th birthday; the card becomes invalid when the child turns 8).
You do not need to register for a new GP Visit Card if your child is under 6 years of age and already has a valid GP Visit Card. The existing card will be automatically extended until their 8th birthday.
You can register for a new GP Visit Card here: HSE GP Visit Cards
Please note: When you apply online, you will receive a confirmation email stating that your request has been sent to your chosen GP for approval. Applications are reviewed and processed regularly in the practice. It can however, take between 10 and 14 days for the HSE to process requests. When your application has been approved, you will receive a card with a GP Visit Card Number. Your child is not covered for GP visits under this scheme until you have received this card with the GP Visit Card number (the application number is not valid). You can call the practice to confirm the GP Visit Card number once you receive the card.
Only children with a valid GP Visit Card can be seen free of charge at the practice. Any child who does not have a valid GP Visit Card will be charged a fee for visits.
Finally, we expect that free GP access for this new age group will put additional pressure on demand for appointments, particularly in the busy winter period. We are hopeful that with the cooperation of parents/guardians, we can continue to see patients most in need of an appointment as quickly as we can. For many common illnesses (fevers/temperatures, coughs, colds, tummy bugs etc.) these can be treated very well at home and do not need a GP appointment. Medical guidance and advice is available on www.undertheweather.ie
Routine appointments should be booked in advance, usually giving one or more weeks’ notice. For urgent appointments, you will be offered the next available appointment and we will continue to operate a daily Cancellation List daily, which will be triaged by GPs to assess the most urgent need. D-Doc (Out of Hours) GP is available daily from 6pm and throughout the weekend for Urgent appointments by calling 0818 22 44 76. Please remember that D-Doc is for URGENT issues only and not for routine medical appointments. In the case of emergency, please go to your nearest children’s A&E.
We are not accepting new patients (patients who do not currently have a parent/guardian registered at the practice) for this scheme.
