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Press release

Minister Donnelly announces more than 1,900 Consultants have signed the new Public-Only Contract

  • 45% of consultant workforce now on the new Contract
  • 4,265 consultants currently working in our public health service – 30% growth in four years

The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has announced that 1,923 consultants have signed the new contract since it was launched last March. The 1,923 figure is made up of 380 new entrants signing the contract and 1,543 consultants who have switched from their existing contracts.

This means that more than 45% of the total number of consultants working across our health service are now on the new contract.

The significant uptake of the contract enables the move towards universal, single-tiered healthcare, where patients are treated on medical need rather than ability to pay. Consultants on the new contract will not be able to treat private patients in public hospitals under this contract.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said:

“I am pleased to see such a high uptake of the Public-Only Consultant Contract. This will have an increasingly positive impact on the delivery of healthcare in Ireland. It is an important enabler in addressing some of the systemic challenges in our public health service. As uptake has now reached a critical mass in many hospitals and other healthcare settings, we will be working with HSE management to ensure its full potential is maximised in all hospitals and settings to ensure that patients experience the full benefit of having senior decision-makers rostered on site over longer hours and weekends. As the contract will see many consultants wind down and cease private practice in public hospitals, hospital managers and clinical directors must ensure this additional capacity is used to improve access for public patients.”

Take up of the new contract is strong across all specialities, with the majority of disciplines seeing at least a 40% uptake.

The specialities with the largest uptake of the contract to date are General Medicine, Anaesthetics and Surgery. Furthermore, 53% of Intensive Care consultants and 45% of Emergency Medicine consultants are now on the new Public-Only Consultant Contract.

The Minister welcomed the large increase in the number of consultants working in the health service.

Minister Donnelly added:

“The number of consultants has been steadily rising over the last 10 years with the most significant increases occurring during the last four years. There are 4,258 consultants, Whole-Time Equivalents (WTEs) currently working in our public health service. In comparison, there were 3,250 consultants in December 2019, which highlights the very substantial 30% growth in just over four years.”

The primary objective of the Public-Only Consultant Contract is to enable the move towards universal, single-tier healthcare, with public hospitals exclusively used for the treatment of public patients. Introduction of this contract enables the phased elimination of private care from the public system. Over time, as more consultants are recruited to or switch to the new contract, the level of private activity in the public system will decline.

Another core objective of implementing the Public-Only Consultant Contract is to enhance senior decision maker presence on-site, out of hours and at weekends. This will ensure these senior decision makers are present and delivering patient care when demand is highest. Under the terms of the new contract, consultants can be rostered to work an extended working day Monday to Friday until 10.00pm. Additionally, consultants can also be rostered on Saturdays 8.00am – 6.00pm. This will double the hours when consultant-delivered services will be available across many areas of the health service, including Emergency Departments, leading to a significant improvement in the delivery of care.

Consultant decision-making on site results in reduced emergency admissions, shorter lengths of stay and more complete care plans for discharge. This will enable the health service to maintain efficient and timely patient flow out of hours and at weekends and reduce waiting times by maximising capacity in our hospitals.

It was important when developing this contract to ensure it was as attractive as possible for both future and current serving consultants. Alongside attractive remuneration, the contract facilitates more flexibility for consultants who want to work share, do less than whole-time, work compressed hours or opt for different work patterns.

The new Sláintecare contract includes:

  • basic pay of €217,325 - €261,051 on a six-point scale
  • a 37-hour week from 8am to 10pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 6pm Saturday
  • additional remuneration for on-call duties and overtime as applicable
  • supports for medical education training and research
  • more flexibility for consultants who want to work share, do less than whole-time, work compressed hours or opt for different work patterns

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