Law may stop doctors working without checks

THE HSE has been told it may need to change existing legislation to prevent 1,200 junior doctors from working anywhere in Ireland or abroad without assessments on their competency.

The comment was made by the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) at a detailed meeting with HSE chief executive, Prof Brendan Drumm, and the health service’s national director of integration, Laverne McGuinness, in Dublin yesterday.

During the meeting, IHCA representatives repeated their warning the HSE’s decision to withdraw 1,200 of the 4,800 junior doctor training posts would put patients and medical professionals at risk.

Under the HSE plan, while the positions will not be available from July, affected junior doctors will be re-registered in the general division of the Medical Council of Ireland’s register to keep them in the system.

Senior doctors said this will mean these 1,200 doctors will be able to work without assessment of their competency, with scrutiny of their ability being further diluted if they decide to work abroad or in Ireland’s private health sector.

As a result of the concerns, the IHCA has asked the HSE to consider amending the Medical Practitioners Act to allow some of the training positions to remain open.

If this is not resolved by July 1, the Department of Health will face financial penalties under EU law – a situation that was outlined to cabinet in a November letter from Brussels.