Hospital consultants must do their sums

SOUTHERN Health Board chief executive Sean Hurley yesterday entered the controversial row over the role of consultants, insisting they accept accountability for how the public’s money is spent.

Mr Hurley backed proposals made last week by the Brennan Report that consultants should be made responsible for their own budgets.

“What I would like is that each consultant would have their own budget. It would be for them to decide what treatment regime what drugs, what diagnostic tests to undertake.