Re-think on hospital consultants’ pay poses challenge to Haddington Road deal

The Fine Gael/Labour coalition came into office with the pay of hospital consultants firmly in its sights. In autumn 2012, the Government unilaterally introduced a 30 per cent pay cut for senior doctors taking up such posts. However, health service management is now pressing for a re-think of this position.

Over the past year or so, medical representative bodies such as the Irish Medical Organisation and the Irish Hospital Consultants' Association have argued that reductions in consultant pay allied to general health service cutbacks have made senior medical positions far less attractive.

They claim there has been a “brain drain” and Irish-based consultants and senior non-consultant doctors were opting to leave while those abroad were choosing to remain overseas.

A few weeks ago, HSE management received a consultant’s report which backed some of these claims. Sources said the HSE now recognised there was an issue in terms of the retention of senior doctors.

The HSE report has not yet been published. However, the Sunday Business Post yesterday reported that the Public Appointment Service had received no applications in relation to four recruitment campaigns last year in the areas of paediatric intensive care medicine, geriatric medicine and radiology.

Hospital consultants are among the highest-paid staff in the public service although their earnings have been cut over the past few years, most recently under the Haddington Road deal last July. However, new entrants appointed since autumn 2012 have experienced much deeper cuts.

In September 2012, the Government shelved plans by Minister for Health James Reilly to introduce a new entry-level consultant grade and instead unilaterally put in place a 30 per cent pay cut for those taking up positions after that date. The salary for new entrants now ranges from €95,000 to €116,000 and the medical bodies have argued these rates are simply too low.

Revised salary scale

Dr Reilly yesterday said

the salary rates for new consultants were more attractive than in many other countries. However he

conceded that “without latitude and under current interpretations, problems have arisen in terms of the movement of well-established consultants”.

Last Thursday the HSE suggested a revised salary scale for consultants with greater experience or who had acquired additional training.

The Minister said yesterday he wanted health service managers to draw up proposals in this area in the weeks ahead.

However, the Government’s official position is that public service pay is settled under Haddington Road until 2016.

The conundrum for the Government is, does it move to deal with an emerging shortage of senior doctors at a potential cost of facing criticism for what would be portrayed as pay rises to some of highest earners at a time of cuts elsewhere.