FAQs

Yes. Sliabh Medical Practice is currently accepting new patients, and we do not operate a defined catchment area — you do not need to live within particular boundaries to register with us. To join, phone 051 370057 or call in to reception at Slievekeale Road, Waterford.

Complete a New Patient Registration Form and return it to reception with photo identification and proof of address. Forms are available on this here.

If you hold a medical card or GP visit card and want to change your registered GP to one of our doctors, you will also need an HSE change-of-doctor form, which reception will provide.

We will ask for your previous GP’s details so your records can be transferred, and for a short health history covering medications, allergies and family history. New patients are usually offered a registration appointment.

Yes, from birth. You will need the child’s birth certificate or PPS number, and a parent or guardian completes the form.

Young children are entitled to a GP visit card giving free GP care, but you must apply for it — it is not issued automatically. The qualifying age is from birth until they turn 8 years old. Once your child is registered with us and holds a valid card, GP visits, developmental checks and childhood immunisations are provided without charge.

Yes, on a private basis and subject to availability.

Email admin@sliabhmedical.ie or tell reception in person or by phone and provide proof of address e.g. a utility bill.

Please keep us up to date — we use your details for appointment reminders, calling you with results, and inviting you for screening and reviews. If you hold a medical card, notify the HSE separately of any address change.

The quickest way is through the repeat prescription request form on this website. You can also order in person at reception or by phoning 051 370057. Allow up to three days for your prescription to be completed. Include your full name, date of birth, the exact name of medication, and the pharmacy you would like it sent to. All of our prescriptions are issued electronically. Once signed, your prescription is sent securely by Healthmail directly to the pharmacy of your choice, so there is nothing to collect from us. A text message will be sent to you confirming the prescription has been sent.

Every repeat prescription is a clinical decision and appropriate time needs to be given to ensure it is correct. Before signing, the doctor checks what you are taking, at what dose, when you were last reviewed, and whether tests or a review are due. That is done safely between clinics rather than during them. Please order when you have about a week’s supply left, rather than on your last tablet.

Please allow up to 3 working days for your prescription to be sent to your pharmacy.

This is likely because a review is due. Long-term medications need periodic reassessment to confirm they are still working, still safe and still at the right dose. Some medicines require monitoring — blood tests, blood pressure readings, or an annual review for inhalers or diabetic medication. Sedatives, sleeping tablets, strong painkillers and other controlled drugs cannot be repeated without the patient being seen. If you are asked to book a review, please do so before you run out.

Contact your pharmacy first. A pharmacist can supply an emergency supply of up to three days of a regular prescribed medication if you are stuck, which will usually cover you until the practice reopens.

If that is not possible and the medication cannot safely wait, contact Caredoc on 0818 300 365. Please treat this as a last resort rather than a routine solution — ordering in good time is safer and far less stressful.

No. There is currently no charge for a repeat prescription issued outside a consultation.

What you pay at the pharmacy is separate and set nationally. Medical card holders pay a small charge per item, capped monthly. Everyone else may be able to claim under the Drugs Payment Scheme. Current rates are on hse.ie.

We will contact you. Blood test results are given by text message or by phone, usually within a week of the test.

Because we contact you directly, there is no need to ring us in the days after a test. Results are only given to the patient concerned, unless you have given consent for us to speak to someone else.

Please make sure the phone number we hold for you is current. If it is out of date, you may miss something important.

If you have not received your results within two weeks, please contact the practice on 051 370057. Do not assume that no news is good news — occasionally a result is delayed, or a message does not reach the person it was meant for, and it is always worth checking.

Cervical screening, histology and some specialised tests take considerably longer than routine bloods, and you will be told at the time if a longer wait is expected.

Hand it in to reception with your name, date of birth, contact number and any specific details clearly marked.

Please do not bring a form to a consultation expecting it to be completed there. Most forms need the doctor to review your record properly, and doing that during an appointment booked for something else means either an incomplete form or a delayed clinic.

Common forms include social welfare and illness benefit forms, driving licence medicals, insurance claims, passport and firearms applications, housing and disability applications, fitness-to-travel letters, and school and sports forms.

Forms from the Department of Social Protection are completed free of charge. Most other forms attract a fee, charged in line with the time the doctor spends on them. Reception will let you know what applies when you hand the form in.

No. If you hold a valid medical card and are registered with one of our GPs under the GMS scheme, your consultations are provided without charge.

The card covers the services set out in the GMS contract. It does not cover everything a practice does — insurance medicals, driving licence medicals, pre-employment and occupational health assessments, solicitors’ reports and most travel vaccinations sit outside the scheme and attract a fee. We will always tell you in advance if a charge applies.

No. The GP visit card covers your GP consultation.

The key difference from a medical card is that it covers the consultation only. It does not cover prescribed medicines, hospital charges, or dental, optical and aural services. You pay for medications at the pharmacy as usual, subject to the Drugs Payment Scheme threshold.

Our full fees list is published on this website here.

Fees are payable at the time of the consultation, and we accept both cash and card.

A certificate issued during a consultation is free, and so is a first extension requested within a week of that consultation.

Repeat certificates after that point attract a fee, because each one requires the doctor to review your record and make a fresh judgement about your fitness to work:

There is no charge at any stage for social welfare certificates, including illness benefit certificates, regardless of how many are needed.

More detailed reports — return-to-work assessments, fitness-for-work reports, or anything requiring a written narrative account — are private services and attract a fee.

Forms from the Department of Social Protection are completed free of charge. So are social welfare certificates.

All other letters, insurance reports, medico-legal reports and third-party forms may attract a fee, charged in line with the time taken to complete them, even for medical card holders.

These services sit outside the GMS contract, which covers medical care rather than administrative work for third parties. The fee reflects the doctor’s time reviewing your record, writing the report accurately, and taking professional responsibility for its contents.

Apply online at mymedicalcard.ie or on a paper form from the HSE. Eligibility is assessed mainly on income after certain expenses such as rent, mortgage, childcare and travel to work.

The practice cannot grant, refuse or speed up an application — that rests entirely with the HSE. If your application is refused and you believe the decision is wrong, you can appeal, and there is a discretionary route where medical circumstances cause hardship despite income above the limit.

The GP visit card has higher income limits than the medical card, so many people who do not qualify for one do qualify for the other. Certain groups qualify regardless of income, including young children and people over 70.

Yes. Complete the HSE change-of-doctor form, which reception will provide. You will need the agreement of a GP here to accept you onto their GMS list. Once the HSE processes the change, your card is updated and your records are requested from your previous practice.

Submit a request in writing. Under GDPR you have the right to a copy of the personal data we hold about you. If you are a medical card holder your request must go through the HSE prior to us being able to release your information.

There is no charge for a first copy. A reasonable administrative fee may apply to repeat or excessive requests.

We will respond within one month of receiving your request and verifying your identity, as GDPR requires. Complex or repeated requests can be extended by a further two months, and we will tell you if that applies. Most requests are dealt with well inside the legal maximum.

Yes, with your written consent naming the person authorised to act for you; they will need photo identification when collecting.

Records for children under 16 are normally released to a parent or guardian. Requests from solicitors, insurers or employers must be accompanied by your signed consent and are treated as a private service for which a fee applies.

Yes. Your new practice will write to us requesting them, and we will transfer them. You need do nothing beyond registering with your new GP. We retain a copy in line with our Data Retention Policy.

Only practice staff who need access to provide your care, and only as far as necessary. Everyone here is bound by strict confidentiality, including reception and administrative staff.

We do not release information to family members, employers, insurers or solicitors without your explicit consent, except in the rare circumstances where the law requires it or where there is a serious risk to someone’s safety.

Please do not email us about urgent or clinical matters. Email is not a secure channel and the inbox is not monitored continuously, so a message may not be read for some time. Email admin@sliabhmedical.ie is suitable for routine administrative matters — submitting a completed form, asking about opening hours or services, or making an initial enquiry about a records request. It is not suitable for describing symptoms, seeking medical advice, requesting an urgent appointment, or reporting that you feel unwell. A formal records request still needs a completed signed consent and photo identification, so email can start that process but cannot complete it. If your query is medical, phone 051 370057. If it is urgent and we are closed, contact Caredoc on 0818 300 365. In an emergency, phone 112 or 999.

We send text messages out — for blood test results, appointment reminders, recall invitations and public health notices — but we do not have a facility to receive text messages. Please use phone or email to make contact with the practice.

You can update your consent for text and email contact at any time.

Doctors are with patients throughout their clinics and cannot take calls during consultations. We do not offer routine telephone consultations. Doctors may contact patients by phone for urgent matters, to follow up on a consultation or discuss results. You can leave a message for a doctor with reception staff. Anything requiring clinical assessment needs an appointment, in person.

Not routinely. We do not offer home visits except in exceptional circumstances, such as a patient receiving palliative care or someone entirely unable to leave home.

If you believe your situation is exceptional, phone reception on 051 370057 as early in the day as possible. Reception will ask some questions and a doctor will decide. Bear in mind that the surgery has equipment and facilities that a home visit cannot offer, so attending in person is usually the better option clinically.

If someone is acutely unwell and cannot travel, that is an emergency — phone 112 or 999.

Go directly to the Emergency Department at University Hospital Waterford, or phone 112 or 999, for symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, severe chest pain, severe breathing difficulty, heavy bleeding that will not stop, a serious injury or suspected fracture, a severe allergic reaction, a seizure, loss of consciousness, or any sudden severe deterioration.

Phone Caredoc on 0818 300 365. Caredoc is the GP out-of-hours service covering Waterford and the wider South East.

It operates 6pm to 9am Monday to Friday, and 24 hours on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. The service is by appointment only — there is no walk-in facility. When you phone, your call is passed to a triage nurse who may ring you back, so keep your line free.

The Caredoc treatment centre for Waterford city is at HSE Community Care, Cork Road, Waterford, X91 VX09, with a further centre at Dungarvan Primary Care Centre.

Bring your medical card or GP visit card — Caredoc is free if you hold a valid card and charges a fee if you do not. For young children, the card must actually have been issued, not merely applied for.

Caredoc is for urgent problems that cannot wait until we reopen. It is not for repeat prescriptions, referral letters, routine reviews or test results.

Yes. The practice is fully accessible. Consultation rooms are on the ground floor, and accessible toilets are available.

If you or someone you care for has particular needs, tell reception when booking on 051 370057 so we can make arrangements in advance.

Yes. There is ample on-site parking, including accessible parking bays and parent-and-child spaces.

We are open 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, and closed at weekends.

We are also closed on public holidays. When we are closed, urgent GP care is provided by Caredoc on 0818 300 365.

Both our doors and our phone lines open at 8.30am, and both stay open through lunch — we do not close in the middle of the day.

We are at Sliabh Medical Practice, Slievekeale Road, Waterford, X91 X3HY in the historic stone convent building, adjacent to Walsh Park stadium.

Our name comes from sliabh, the Irish word for mountain, pronounced “shlee-uv” — a nod to Slievekeale Road and to what a mountain represents: shelter, strength and steadiness for the community around it.

We are a group practice providing general medical care in Waterford city, both under the GMS scheme and privately. Alongside routine general practice we offer on-site DEXA bone density scanning, minor surgery, and a dedicated occupational health service for employers across the South East.

Our range includes general consultations, chronic disease management, childhood and adult immunisations, women’s health, men’s health, travel health, joint injections, minor surgery, bone health assessment, occupational health, and pre-employment and driving licence medicals.

A DEXA scan is a quick, painless, low-radiation X-ray that measures bone density. It is the standard test for diagnosing osteopenia and osteoporosis and assessing fracture risk.

The scan takes around 10 to 15 minutes, you remain fully clothed for most examinations, and there is no injection and no enclosed tunnel. You lie on a padded table while a scanning arm passes over your hip and lower spine.

You may be advised to have one after a fracture from a minor fall, with a family history of osteoporosis, after long-term steroid treatment, following early menopause, or with a condition known to affect bone density.

Our DEXA service is led by Dr Ciaran Foley, a Certified Clinical Densitometrist (CCD).

DEXA scanning is by referral from a GP or a hospital consultant — we do not accept self-referrals. Referrals from other practices are welcome. The referral must contain enough clinical information to justify the scan, as DEXA involves radiation exposure and every scan must be clinically warranted. A referral form is available on our DEXA page.

We are covered by health insurers, so you may be able to claim some or all of the cost back — please check your level of cover with your provider before attending.

The current average wait for an appointment is two to three weeks.

We carry out minor procedures on site, so many problems can be dealt with here rather than through a hospital referral and a long wait. These include removal of skin lesions, cysts, lipomas and skin tags, ingrown toenail treatment, wound care and suturing, and joint and joint injections for conditions such as Rotator cuff tendinitis, frozen shoulder, plantar fasciitis and osteoarthritis.

Every procedure starts with an assessment appointment, at which the doctor confirms the procedure is suitable, explains what is involved, and discusses the risks.

Minor surgery is a private service and is charged according to the time the procedure takes.

Yes. We provide occupational health services to employers throughout the South East, led by Dr Ciaran Foley, Dr. Miriam Nugent, and Dr. Emma Aherne.

Services include pre-employment medicals, periodic health surveillance, fitness-for-work and return-to-work assessments, statutory medicals, and management referrals. Occupational health is arranged directly with the employer.

Employers are given a dedicated phone number and email address for enquiries and bookings. We are also happy to discuss running on-site clinics at your premises.

Individuals attending for an occupational health appointment should use the main practice number, 051 370057.

Yes. We run seasonal influenza clinics each autumn, and provide COVID-19 vaccination, childhood immunisations under the national schedule, pneumococcal and shingles vaccination, and travel vaccinations.

The seasonal flu vaccine is free to everyone in an at-risk group, including people aged 60 and over, pregnant women, healthcare workers, and people with certain long-term conditions.

Contraception advice and prescribing, coil and implant fitting and removal, cervical screening under CervicalCheck, menopause assessment and management, fertility and pre-pregnancy advice, antenatal care under the Maternity and Infant Care Scheme, and postnatal checks.

Yes, for eligible patients. The HSE Free Contraception Scheme covers people aged 17 to 35 inclusive who are ordinarily resident in Ireland — from your 17th birthday until the day before your 36th.

It covers the GP consultation, the prescription itself, and the fitting, removal and follow-up checks for long-acting reversible contraception such as coils and implants, as well as the pill, patch, ring, injection and emergency contraception. You do not need a medical card. You will be asked for your PPS number, name, date of birth and address to register.

Sliabh Medical Practice is registered under the scheme, so you can attend us for it.

It depends on your age and why the coil is being fitted. If you are aged 17 to 35 and it is for contraception, it is covered in full by the Free Contraception Scheme regardless of which card you hold.

Outside of that age range a Mirena coil can be supplied for free with the pharmacy when being prescribed as HRT, but the fitting is not covered. Other coils such as Jaydess, Kyleena and copper coils are not covered by the pharmacy outside of the free contraceptive scheme.

Yes, to everyone eligible under the national CervicalCheck programme, regardless of whether you hold a medical card. The programme covers women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 65.

You must be registered with CervicalCheck and your smear must be due. Attending before you are due, or outside the age range, may attract a private fee. Check your due date at cervicalcheck.ie or phone 1800 45 45 55.

Yes. We run structured chronic disease management for type 2 diabetes, asthma, COPD, heart failure, cardiovascular disease, atrial fibrillation and chronic kidney disease.

Under the HSE Chronic Disease Management Programme, eligible medical card and GP visit card holders receive scheduled reviews with the practice nurse and GP at no cost, including the necessary blood tests, examinations and medication reviews. You will be invited for review — but do phone if you think you are overdue.

Yes, including prostate screening, cardiovascular risk assessment, blood pressure and cholesterol checks, diabetes screening, sexual health, testosterone assessment and general health checks. To arrange a prostate screening appointment or a men’s health check, phone 051 370057.

Yes. Book a travel consultation at least six to eight weeks before you travel — some vaccines need a course of doses over several weeks, and some, such as rabies, take longer.

Tell us your destinations, dates, the type of trip and any planned activities. Travel vaccination and malaria prophylaxis are private services and are not covered by the medical card.

Speak to the Practice Manager in the first instance, in person, by email, or by phoning 051 370057. Many concerns are resolved quickly by talking them through.

To complain in writing, or if a conversation has not resolved matters, write to the Practice Manager at Sliabh Medical Practice, Slievekeale Road, Waterford, or email admin@sliabhmedical.ie. Include your name, contact details, the date and details of what happened, and what you would like us to do.

Making a complaint will not affect the care you receive. Complaints tell us where our systems are failing patients, and we would rather hear about a problem than have someone leave without telling us why.

Tell a member of staff, drop a note to reception, email admin@sliabhmedical.ie, or leave a review on our Google Business Profile. It is passed on to the people concerned and it genuinely matters to them.

Our staff have the right to work without being subjected to abuse. We will not accept violence, threats, verbal abuse, racist or discriminatory language, or aggressive behaviour towards any member of the team or any other patient. Patients who behave this way may be asked to register elsewhere, and serious incidents are reported to An Garda Síochána.

The practice was renamed Sliabh Medical Practice in October 2026. As of January 2025, Dr Ciaran Foley and Dr Emma Aherne were honoured to take over as the new practice partners as Dr Mark Rowe retired. They wanted a new name to reflect the ongoing growth of the practice in its exciting new phase. The practice will forever have a legacy of care and compassion for patients set by Dr Ita Creavin and Dr Mark Rowe, and this legacy will always remain at the forefront of all that the practice does

Sliabh is the Irish word for mountain, pronounced “shlee-uv” — one syllable, rhyming roughly with “sleeve”. It refers directly to Slievekeale Road, where the practice has stood for many years, and to what a mountain represents: shelter, strength and permanence for the community gathered around it.

Yes. Only the name has changed — same team, same building on Slievekeale Road, same phone number, same medical records.

Your appointments, prescriptions, referrals and registration are unaffected. You do not need to re-register, and there is nothing you need to do.

Only the account name. The account number and sort code are unchanged. If your accounts department needs written confirmation for their records, contact us on 051 370057 and we will provide it.