Every option, including the ones that are not us

Can't Get a GP
Appointment in Ireland?

Closed lists, a two-week wait, a surgery that shuts at five. If you need to be seen and your practice cannot see you, here is every real route to a doctor in Ireland, what each one costs, and which one fits your problem.

See Your OptionsHow Online Consultations Work

If this is an emergency, stop reading and call 999 or 112

Chest pain, severe breathlessness, stroke symptoms (face droop, arm weakness, slurred speech), severe bleeding, loss of consciousness, a serious head injury or a severe allergic reaction all need emergency care now. Do not wait for a GP appointment and do not book an online consultation.

WHY IT IS SO HARD

It Is Not Just You

Ireland does not have enough GPs, and it has not for some years. HSE workforce modelling cited in Oireachtas debate projected a shortfall of roughly 493 to 1,380 GPs by 2025, concentrated in rural areas, with around seven GPs per 10,000 people against the twelve per 10,000 generally considered necessary for a safe and effective service. Roughly 700 GPs were due to reach retirement by 2026, while GP training output was running at 209 graduates in 2024, 226 in 2025 and 257 in 2026 — growing, but from behind.

That arithmetic is what you experience as a closed list. A practice that takes on more patients than it can see safely does not become more available; it becomes less safe. So practices cap their lists, and the people who cannot register end up choosing between waiting, an out-of-hours co-op, or an emergency department that was never designed for them.

The Department of Health has a strategic review of general practice under way, covering GP training, capacity, rural practice and out-of-hours reform. That will help in time. It does not help you this afternoon — so the rest of this page is about what actually works today.

YOUR OPTIONS

Six Routes to a Doctor in Ireland

Roughly in order of how routine the problem is. Read the “not for” line on each — choosing the wrong route costs you time you may not have.

Your own GP practice

Typically €50-€65 · free with a medical card or GP visit card

Best for: Anything ongoing, complex, or needing an examination

Still the right first call, even when the answer is "nothing until next week". Ask to be added to a cancellation list, ask whether the practice nurse can deal with it, and say plainly if your symptoms are getting worse — practices hold slots back for urgent problems and triage them by phone.

Watch out: If the list is closed to new patients, ask whether they take patients for one-off urgent care; some do.

GP out-of-hours co-op

Commonly €50-€75 · free with a medical card or GP visit card

Best for: Urgent problems at night, at weekends and on bank holidays

Regional co-ops — SouthDoc, ShannonDoc, Caredoc, DubDoc, NorthDoc and others — cover the hours your practice is shut. Phone your own surgery first: the answering message gives you the co-op number. A nurse triages you by phone, then you are given an appointment, a phone consultation or, in some cases, a home visit.

Watch out: Appointment only — there is no drop-in. Waits can be long on a Sunday afternoon or a bank holiday.

HSE injury unit

Statutory charge applies without a GP referral

Best for: Sprains, simple fractures, minor burns, wounds needing stitches

Injury units treat exactly the kind of injury that clogs an emergency department, and they normally do it far faster. They take adults and, at most units, children over a certain age. No referral is needed. Find your nearest one, with its opening hours, on the HSE urgent and emergency care finder.

Watch out: Injury units do not treat illness, chest pain, breathing problems or anything potentially life-threatening.

Your pharmacy

A consultation fee applies; medicine cost depends on your eligibility

Best for: Eight specified common conditions, plus general advice

Since the HSE Common Conditions Service began, most Irish pharmacies can assess and — where appropriate — prescribe for shingles, cold sores, impetigo, oral thrush, vulvovaginal thrush, allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis and uncomplicated urinary tract infections, without you seeing a doctor at all. Nearly 94% of community pharmacies signed up.

Watch out: Not everyone is eligible — age limits apply and recurring problems are referred to a doctor. Your pharmacist will tell you.

Online GP consultation

From €35 · €50 evenings, weekends and bank holidays

Best for: Problems a GP can assess by history and by looking at you

A video consultation with an Irish Medical Council registered GP, usually available the same day, 8am to 10pm, seven days a week. Suited to skin complaints, respiratory and urinary symptoms, medication reviews, certificates and referrals. Where a prescription is clinically appropriate it goes to your chosen pharmacy over Healthmail.

Watch out: No physical examination is possible. If your GP decides you need to be examined, they will tell you so and direct you appropriately.

Emergency department · 999 or 112

Statutory charge without a GP referral · 999/112 is free

Best for: Anything potentially life- or limb-threatening

Chest pain, severe breathlessness, stroke symptoms, severe bleeding, loss of consciousness, serious head injury or a severe allergic reaction: call 999 or 112, or go straight to an emergency department. Do not wait for a GP appointment and do not book an online consultation.

Watch out: For routine problems an ED means a long wait behind genuine emergencies, and it is the wrong place for them.

Official finders — use these, not a search engine's cached hours

Details above verified against HSE, Citizens Information and Oireachtas sources as of August 2026. Fees and opening hours are set locally and change — confirm before you travel.

WHERE WE FIT

When an Online GP Is — and Is Not — the Answer

We would rather you read this and not book than book and find out we were the wrong choice.

Well suited to

  • Skin complaints a GP can see clearly on camera
  • Respiratory and urinary symptoms with a clear history
  • Medication reviews and repeat prescription requests
  • Medical certificates for work, school or college
  • Referral letters to a consultant or for a scan
  • A second opinion, or advice on whether you need to be seen in person

Not the right choice for

  • Chest pain, severe breathlessness, or stroke symptoms — call 999 or 112
  • Anything needing a doctor to physically examine you: chest, abdomen, ears, injuries
  • Blood tests, swabs, blood pressure readings, ECGs or any in-person investigation
  • Serious mental health crisis or risk of self-harm — contact emergency services
  • Injuries: sprains, suspected fractures, wounds — an injury unit is the right place
  • Ongoing complex conditions that need a GP who holds your full history

What it costs, before you start

€35

Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm

€50

Evenings, weekends and bank holidays

The price for your chosen time is shown before you pay. The fee buys a consultation with an Irish Medical Council registered GP — a prescription, a certificate or a referral is issued only where the GP judges it clinically appropriate, which is a clinical decision and never a guaranteed outcome of booking. See full pricing.

WHILE YOU WAIT

Four Things Worth Doing Today

  1. 1

    Ring your practice and ask to be triaged, not booked

    Practices hold back urgent slots and assess by phone. "The next appointment is in two weeks" is the answer to a different question than "I am getting worse and I need someone to decide how urgent this is."

  2. 2

    Ask your pharmacist first for a minor condition

    For the eight conditions in the HSE Common Conditions Service, a pharmacist can assess and prescribe directly. No appointment, no doctor, and nearly every Irish pharmacy takes part.

  3. 3

    Check whether you are entitled to a GP visit card

    Medical cards and GP visit cards are means-tested and eligibility thresholds have widened in recent years. Both make GP visits and out-of-hours co-op visits free. Citizens Information explains how to apply.

  4. 4

    Work out what your absence is actually costing you

    If you are off work, know your entitlement before you decide how urgently you need a certificate.

    Try the sick pay calculator
Getting a same-day GP appointment in IrelandEvening and weekend GP optionsFinding an open pharmacy in IrelandMedical certificates: what a GP can issue
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

GP Access Questions

What do I do if I can't get a GP appointment in Ireland?

Work through the options in order of urgency. If it is an emergency — chest pain, difficulty breathing, stroke symptoms, severe bleeding, or a serious injury — call 999 or 112. If it is urgent but not an emergency and your surgery is closed, phone your GP practice anyway: the recorded message routes you to the local out-of-hours co-op such as SouthDoc, ShannonDoc, Caredoc or DubDoc. For a sprain, a suspected simple fracture or a minor wound, an HSE injury unit is faster and cheaper than an emergency department. For minor conditions, your pharmacist can now treat several of them directly. And for the many problems a doctor can assess by talking to you and looking at you, an online GP consultation can usually be booked the same day.

Why are GP lists closed to new patients in Ireland?

Ireland has fewer GPs per head of population than it needs, and the gap is widest in rural areas. HSE workforce modelling quoted in the Oireachtas projected a shortfall of roughly 493 to 1,380 GPs by 2025, against around seven GPs per 10,000 people when at least twelve per 10,000 is considered necessary for a safe service. When a practice reaches safe capacity it closes its list rather than take on patients it cannot see promptly. The Department of Health has a strategic review of general practice under way covering GP training, capacity and out-of-hours reform.

Can I see a doctor in Ireland without being registered with a GP?

Yes. GP out-of-hours co-ops treat patients who are not on their list, injury units and emergency departments do not require a GP referral, and online GP services do not require you to be registered with a practice. What none of these replaces is continuity of care: if you have an ongoing or complex condition, keep trying to register with a practice, because a GP who knows your history will always manage it better than a one-off consultation can.

How much does it cost to see a GP out of hours in Ireland?

GP out-of-hours co-ops charge a fee for patients without a medical card or GP visit card — commonly in the €50-€75 range depending on the co-op and whether you are seen at a treatment centre or at home. The service is free if you present a valid medical card or GP visit card. A GetYourGP online consultation is €35 weekdays 8am-5pm and €50 evenings, weekends and bank holidays, shown before you pay. Emergency departments charge a statutory fee if you attend without a GP referral, and injury units charge on the same basis.

When should I go to the emergency department instead of a GP?

Go to an emergency department, or call 999 or 112, for anything that could be life- or limb-threatening: chest pain, breathlessness, stroke symptoms such as face droop or slurred speech, severe bleeding, loss of consciousness, a serious head injury, or severe allergic reaction. For a broken bone you can still weight-bear on, a sprain, a minor burn or a wound needing stitches, an HSE injury unit is designed for exactly that and normally has a far shorter wait. Emergency departments are not a substitute for a GP appointment and attending with a routine problem means a long wait behind genuine emergencies.

Can an online GP replace my regular GP?

No, and it is not meant to. An online consultation is well suited to problems a doctor can assess by history and by looking at you — many skin complaints, respiratory infections, urinary symptoms, medication reviews, certificates and referrals. It cannot replace a physical examination, so anything needing a doctor to listen to your chest, feel your abdomen, take your blood pressure, take bloods or examine an injury needs an in-person appointment. Think of it as a way to be seen when your own practice cannot see you, not as a permanent replacement for one.

If an online consultation fits your problem

Irish Medical Council registered GPs, 8am to 10pm, seven days a week. From €35, with the price for your chosen time shown before you pay.

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