Reilly seeking proposals on a revised pay structure for hospital consultants

Minister for Health James Reilly

has asked officials in his department and the HSE to develop new proposals for revised pay structures for hospital consultants.

The Minister said that while the current starting salary of €116,000 for newly-appointed consultants (working exclusively in the public system) was attractive and higher than in many countries, “it is clear that without latitude and under current interpretations, problems have arisen in terms of the movement of well-established consultants”.

"I am concerned that senior consultants in Ireland feel constrained from moving to posts in different hospitals and that certain senior consultants, who have worked abroad and gained considerable experience, are constrained from coming to Ireland."

Any change in pay structures for hospital consultants would require the support of the Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin.

Revised scale

The Irish Times reported on Saturday that the director general of the HSE, Tony O'Brien, suggested last week that consideration be given to putting in place a revised salary scale for consultants with greater experience or who had acquired additional training or

undertaken a leadership role.

“I believe this is key to recruitment of candidates of the experience required to support and progress health-service reform,” he said.

In 2012, the Government unilaterally introduced a 30 per cent pay cut for newly appointed hospital consultants.

Sources said that, following a new consultancy report, the HSE recognised there was an issue in terms of the retention of senior doctors.

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) said yesterday it welcomed the new developments. It said it had argued since September 2012 that the pay cuts introduced for new consultants would lead to doctors opting not to take up positions here and its stance had now been vindicated.

Posts unfilled

IMO director of industrial relations Steve Tweed said the Government should now address the whole pay structure for hospital consultants.

He said at present hospital services were safe but that position could not be guaranteed to remain the same in a few years’ time if consultant posts continued to remain unfilled. Mr Tweed said that up to now health service management had denied there was any problem with medical recruitment and retention.

The HSE report is understood to highlight the concerns of hospital clinical directors at the difficulties in filling a number of senior medical posts.

In comments to the Oireachtas Health Committee earlier this month, the Minister said: "When we introduced the reduction, it was never my intention that somebody who has spent 10 years working as a cardiologist in Toronto would be expected to return here and commence work at the starting point on the salary scale."

“That, clearly, does not make sense. Whatever needs to be done will be done to address that issue.”