A proposal by the independent chairman of the hospital consultant contract talks, aimed at their early resumption, will have to be shelved.
Mark Connaughton SC had proposed that negotiations between unions representing the doctors and health service management recommence no later than Monday week.
But one of the two unions representing consultants, the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), has said it will not be able to decide before October 26th at the earliest whether or not to accept the chairman's proposals to re-enter talks in the first place.
The proposals from Mr Connaughton were issued to the IMO, the Irish Hospital Consultants' Association (IHCA) and health service management last Monday. The main thrust was that all sides resume talks, stalled since February, on October 16th; that the two most contentious issues over which the parties were in dispute - and which kept them away from talks for so long - should be discussed and that the HSE lift its ban on the appointment of category II consultants for the duration of the resumed talks. He believed this should take place for an intensive two-month period.
Category II consultant contracts allow consultants working in public hospitals, and getting paid a full salary for same, to also work off-site in private hospitals.
The HSE board decided in January to abolish this type of contract, and replace it with public hospital only contracts.
However, last Thursday it agreed to accept Mr Connaughton's proposal to lift its ban on issuing category II contracts for the duration of the talks. It also accepted his plan for a two-month period of negotiations.
And last night the national council of the IHCA met and decided to recommend to its members that they also accept Mr Connaughton's proposal to re-enter negotiations. Members will decide whether to accept or reject the recommendation at their annual conference in Mullingar today.
Finbarr Fitzpatrick, secretary general of the IHCA, said the national council debated the proposals at length. "While we have every confidence in Mr Connaughton there remains enormous negativity towards the HSE as the result of their January 13th decision. I am not sure that they [HSE board] fully appreciate the damage that they have done to relations with hospital consultants . . . which will weigh heavily with consultants at our annual conference," he said.
Meanwhile, Fintan Hourihan, the IMO's director of industrial relations, said a number of the union's negotiating team were out of the country at present and therefore could not meet until the end of the month to discuss the Connaughton proposals.
"We will meet on Thursday, October 26th, to discuss the proposals," he confirmed.
"The decision we have taken is to convene a meeting of the full consultant committee of the IMO on that date."
It is expected that the IMO, which represents some 800 consultants, will, however, agree to re-enter negotiations at that stage.
The negotiation of a new contract with hospital consultants is seen as one of the main building blocks of the health service reform programme.
The plan is to reach a deal with consultants which will see them work in teams around the clock so that patients will be more likely to be seen by a consultant rather than junior doctor when they enter hospital, whether that be day or night.
If consultants agree to the plan it is likely their salaries for working in public hospitals, which now average €160,000, will be significantly increased.