Vol. 519 No. 6
32 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Health and Children when it is expected that the recommendations of the Medical Manpower Forum will be published; the number of additional hospital consultants he will appoint arising from the forum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14523/00]
The Medical Manpower Forum is due to present its first report shortly. The main service, training, research and career issues, and the principles and approaches to be adopted have, to a large measure, been agreed by the Medical Manpower Forum. It has also been agreed that the introduction of these changes should coincide with an extension of the core hospital working day. This is necessary if one of the key principles of the forum is to be achieved, the need to provide the highest quality of medical care for those who require the services of hospitals. This will require an increase in the present number of hospital consultant posts.
Following publication of the forum's first report, it is proposed that the next steps should be an assessment of the effect of the changes recommended in a representative number of hospitals. This assessment will take into account the changes in medical staffing required to give effect to the recommendations of the forum. It is envisaged that the assessment should be completed in six months.
