More than 1,000 consultants on new public-only Slaintecare contract

More than 1,000 consultants have signed the new public-only Slaintecare contract.

It means more than one in every four consultants working across the public health service is on the new contract.

The 1,056 contracts include 241 new-entrant consultants who have joined the health service and 815 consultants who have switched from their previous contracts.

Under the new contract, consultants can be asked to work 8am to 10pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 6pm Saturday as part of their core 37-hour week.

It offers basic pay of 217,325 euro to 261,051 euro on a six-point scale, with additional remuneration for on-call duties and overtime.

The Department of Health says it offers more flexibility for consultants who want to work-share, do less than whole-time, work compressed hours or opt for different work patterns.

It said hundreds more applicants are being processed by the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said he was “delighted” with the response to the new contract.

He said: “The introduction of this contract represents a landmark in delivering universal healthcare. It is a progressive contract that puts the interests of patients to the fore.

“This new contract is facilitating a transition away from the provision of private care in public hospitals and ensuring that state resources are provided in accordance with patient need rather than a patient’s ability to pay.

“The contract compares very favourably with other health services around the world and it is clearly proving attractive to potential candidates.”

There are 3,928 consultants working across the public health service, with 3,487 of these in permanent posts – an increase of 34% on 2019 levels.

The Department of Health said having an extended consultant presence on duty results in reduced emergency admissions, more rapid and appropriate decision-making, shorter lengths of stay, better patient flow and improved outcomes for patients.

HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster said: “It is a very significant development to have over a quarter of all consultants in the HSE now on the new contract, and this has happened over a short period of time.

“It is an important step towards enabling us to introduce reforms to our health system which will allow for enhanced care and greater out-of-hours and weekend presence of consultants in our hospitals, thus enhancing patient flow.

“This contract is helping us to operate in a highly competitive international employment market, enticing new entrants into the HSE.”

A spokesperson for the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) said it would support members with their individual choices on whether to take up the new contract.

The organisation said: “We appreciate the transparency with which Minister Donnelly has shared these latest figures. Transitioning those signing up for the new contract into actual filled positions on the ground is the next critical challenge.

“Ultimately, the real test will be the ability of this contract, together with the announced increases in hospital beds, theatre and other facilities which are urgently required, to address the 900 vacant consultant posts, the record number of patients on waiting lists and to make the Irish health service a place which attracts and retains consultants in order to improve the daily lives of our patients.”