Talks between HSE and consultants collapse

Direct talks between the HSE and hospital consultants on significant cost-saving reforms broke down yesterday.

Even though the Irish Hospital Consultants Association was willing to continue talks for a number of days, the HSE said it intended to forward the issues which had not been agreed to the LabourRelations Commission.

It wants those issues — including a lower-paid entry grade and consultants having to take part in a weekend roster — to be addressed as soon as possible, and it argues that it is not looking for anything that is not covered by the Croke Park Agreement on public service reform.

However, the consultants do not agree that the public service agreement covers the reforms being sought.

Last night Martin Varley, secretary general of the IHCA said his organisation was disappointed that health service management had withdrawn from talks with the association about how to improve the health service.

“The HSE has prematurely broken off the discussions without first setting out how the State intends to reconfigure hospitals or the number of consultants that are needed to provide a proper service to patients,” he said. “Consultants have already demonstrated extensive flexibility saving €63m last year on one new clinical programme alone. There are now 10% more patients being treated compared with two years ago despite cuts in the health services budgets.”

In forwarding the matter to the LRC, the HSE is likely to seek a recommendation which would be binding on both sides. It needs to have the issues addressed as soon as possible as it is trying to reduce its rising €280m deficit.

In another process designed to cut that deficit, the HSE is also proposing staff would work two extra hours per week for free and be paid a flat rate for overtime rather than up to double time.

While Siptu has said it may hold a protective ballot for industrial action over the move, Impact pointed out that no formal proposals have been tabled to unions by the HSE.

“While HSE management had indicated that it was looking at the issue of staff working unpaid additional hours, it accepted that the proposal to extend the working week was not something that could be addressed within a forum exclusively concerned with the health service,” said Impact national secretary Louise O’Donnell.

“Similarly, in Oct 2011, the HSE made similar statements about increasing the working week but didn’t table any proposals to the unions. Management later accepted that such proposals could only be dealt with on a public sector-wide basis.

“Management also accepted that the measure could not form the basis of a solution to the current financial difficulties of the HSE.”

Ms O’Donnell said management’s assertion that longer working hours could be a “catch-all” solution to the problems of the health sector was “just lazy management and showed a complete failure to understand the complex nature of service delivery within the sector”.

“It demonstrates a reluctance to ensure that their own managers stay within budget and comply with instructions to reduce overtime and the use of agency staff,” she said.