Pay for new consultants may rise after failure to fill key posts

Health Minister James Reilly and the HSE are considering paying newly appointed hospital consultants more money because of the failure to fill key posts.

Last October, the president of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association, Denis Evoy, warned that the continued “degradation” of consultants’ working conditions and contracts was resulting in a system that could not cater for patients.

Over the weekend, it was reported that there had been no applications in relation to four recruitment campaigns last year for posts in paediatric intensive care medicine, geriatric medicine, and radiology.

Last week, the HSE proposed a revised salary scale for consultants with greater experience or who had acquired additional training.

Dr Reilly wants health service managers to draw up proposals in the area in a matter of weeks.

The pay for new consultants was cut two years ago, with the salary for new entrants now ranging from €95,000 to €116,000-a- year for public work.

IHCA secretary general, Martin Varley, said there was huge concern in hospitals where posts could not be filled. Speaking on RTÉ radio yesterday, Mr Varley said the situation was impacting on patient care and waiting lists.

Mr Varley said some consultants were leaving hospitals to take up posts abroad mainly because they were overstretched due to staffing issues.

He said pay was a “background” issue for consultants, whose salaries had been cut by between 30% and 40% compared with their 2008 contracts.

In Oct 2012, there was an additional 30% unilateral cut applied to new consultants and that was having a devastating impact on the potential to recruit consultants.

Asked how much more consultants should be paid, Mr Varley said that depended very much on the international marketplace.

“We have seen a number of posts advertised two and three times around the country with no applicants. That very much arose on the back of that unilateral 30% salary reduction.”

Mr Varley said some consultants were working way beyond their expected hours to ensure patients were treated as quickly as possible.

“There is no difficulty with consultants wanting to have their hours monitored, they would actually welcome it.”

Mr Varley was asked about the Haddington Road Agreement that set public pay rates until 2016, and the concern that more people might start asking for more money if consultants got a pay rise.

“The HSE and the minister recognise there is a problem here, specifically because we can’t fill consultant posts.”