Maximum refundable salary amounts apply under Practice Support Subsidy and are linked to the relevant experience band.

Payments for Practice Support Subsidy roles (practice nurses and practice administrators) are tiered based on relevant experience.

Relevant experience is the number of years for which Practice Support Subsidy has been claimed, or the number of years the employee has been registered with the HSE for subsidy purposes. This may include time spent employed in other practices.

When submitting to the CHO for approval, previous experience should be outlined and, where possible, supported by evidence of prior employment.

For practice nurses, relevant experience may also include experience in:

• Acute settings

• Community or primary care

• Nursing home settings

A subsidy cannot exceed the salary paid to the employee by the practice.

Published tables show maximum refundable grant amounts only. They are not agreed or recommended salary scales. Each practice sets its own rates.

Hours worked

Subsidy is based on contracted hours, up to a maximum of 35 hours per week.

Where staff work part-time, the claimable subsidy is pro-rated based on hours worked.

Hours worked by multiple part-time nurses or administrators may be combined to reach the maximum subsidy entitlement.

Dual roles – one person carrying out two roles

Where one person carries out both the Practice Nurse role and the Practice Administrator role, the GP may claim both subsidies, subject to the usual rules on hours and panel size.

The two roles are treated as separate posts for subsidy purposes.

This means:

• The hours must be split between the two roles

• The split must reflect the actual hours worked in each role

• Each role is assessed independently for subsidy purposes

A separate PSN/1 form must be submitted for each role, clearly showing:

• the role being claimed

• the hours allocated to that role

The combined hours claimed across both roles cannot exceed the GP’s total subsidy entitlement based on weighted panel size.

If a single contract covers both roles, the contract must still clearly show the allocation of hours between nursing and administrative duties.