Health Committee to discuss Consultants’ Contracts issue highlighted by RTÉ Primetime Investigates

The meeting will focus on oversight and monitoring of Hospital Consultant Contracts as highlighted on RTÉ Prime Time Investigates, which aired on 21 November 2017:

Session A: [Representatives from the Health Service Executive; Officials from the Department of Health]

Session B: [Representatives from the Irish Hospital Consultants Association; and the Irish Medical Organisation]

The programme outlined a failure by the HSE and hospital managements to properly implement the 2008 Hospital Consultants' Contract across acute public hospitals.

Chairperson of the Health Committee, Dr Michael Harty TD said today, “The Committee was very concerned by the revelations that some consultants were consistently failing to deliver on their commitments as outlined in their contracts to supply services in the public hospital system. The Committee is concerned about the enforcement and monitoring of consultants’ contracts. After the Primetime Investigates programme aired, the Minister for Health asked the HSE to ensure that more robust measures are in place in 2018. Tomorrow’s meeting will allow us to engage with the HSE and the Department on what exactly these measures will be. We will also speak to the Irish Medical Organisation and the Irish Hospital Consultants Association concerning their views on delivering an effective service to both public and private patients in our public hospitals. In this context the committee will examine the different types of contracts that exist regarding public only contracts and public/private contracts both on site in public hospitals and off site in private hospitals.

Committee proceedings can be viewed live here

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