top of page

Practice Grant Support (PGS)

The Practice Grant Support (PGS) payment was introduced under the 2023 GP Agreement.


GMS GPs with an Average Weighted Panel of 500 or more are entitled to €15,000 per GP per year.


Key features of Practice Grant Support

Practice Grant Support:

  • is a permanent, recurring grant

  • is paid monthly through PCRS

  • is not prorated based on panel size once the 500 threshold is met

  • is not subject to the 75% subsidy ceiling


Practice Grant Support is subject to:

  • maximum refundable salary amounts

  • hours worked


Reimbursement cannot exceed the salary paid.



What Practice Grant Support can be used for

Practice Grant Support may be used to support:

  • Practice administrator

  • Practice nurse

  • Practice manager (not available to single-handed GPs)

  • General Practice Assistant (GPA)


The grant may be used only where:

  • the staff member is newly hired, or

  • additional hours are created

after 1 July 2023.


Practice Grant Support cannot be used for:

  • staff already funded under Practice Support Subsidy

  • meeting any shortfall between subsidy payments and salary costs



Pooling

Pooling is available where multiple GPs each have a weighted panel of 500 or more.


For example, a four-GP practice may pool €60,000 (€15,000 × 4).


Practices not in formal partnership may pool the grant where:

  • no practice is more than 30km from another

  • no more than five practices are involved


Exceptions may be considered at the discretion of the HSE, following consultation with the IMO.



Maximum Refundable Salary Amounts

Maximum refundable salary amounts apply under Practice Grant Support, in the same way as under Practice Support Subsidy.


The 75% subsidy ceiling does not apply to Practice Grant Support.


Reimbursement is related to:

  • the maximum refundable salary amount for the relevant role, plus

  • employer PRSI


For example, where a practice has €60,000 available under the grant and employs a full-time practice administrator on a salary of €42,000, the maximum claimable amount is €30,459 (maximum refundable salary plus employer PRSI).




Remainder of Grant

Any remaining grant funds after hiring new staff or increasing hours may be used for:

  • further recruitment, or

  • additional extensions of hours


The grant is not restricted to a single post and may be used flexibly within the rules of the scheme.



Part-Time Staff

Where staff are employed on a part-time basis, reimbursement under Practice Grant Support is calculated by reference to:

  • the total maximum refundable amount (maximum refundable salary plus employer PRSI), and

  • the number of hours worked.


Practice Grant Support is not subject to weighted panel size pro-rating once the GP meets the qualifying threshold of 500 or more.



Salary Above the Maximum Refundable Amount

Where a GP employs staff on a salary above the maximum refundable amount, reimbursement remains capped at the maximum refundable salary amount plus employer PRSI.


This applies to all roles supported under Practice Grant Support, including the General Practice Assistant.



General Practice Assistant (GPA)

The General Practice Assistant (GPA) role was introduced under the 2023 GP Agreement and is supported through Practice Grant Support.


Full details of the GPA role, eligibility and duties are set out on the General Practice Assistant (GPA) page.

bottom of page