Row over public consultants at private hospital

A row over whether hospital consultants contracted to work in the public service should be allowed to continue working in a private facility is headed for the courts.

St Vincent’s Healthcare Group has rejected the HSE’s position that under the terms of the 2008 Consultants’ Contract, they are not permitted to work in St Vincent’s Private Hospital.

It has emerged that dozens of consultants in the group work in its public and private hospitals, despite SVHG implying that just a handful were engaged in the practice “in rare and exceptional circumstances”.

Yesterday, HSE director general Tony O’Brien warned that HSE investment in the hospital could be compromised if the practice is allowed to continue.

Mr O’Brien said while they were still in discussions in an effort to resolve the issue, failure to do so could impact on “resourcing issues in the future”.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Sean O’Rourke, Mr O’Brien said the taxpayer was paying the salaries of a large number of consultants on the understanding that they would be doing all of their work in a public hospital. However, within the SVHG group, there was a private hospital “which is effectively being run on the back of the public hospital”.

The board of the group issued a statement last night saying it “disagrees” with the HSE interpretation of the Consultants’ Contract.

It said “given the seriousness of this issue, not least for patient care”, the board was now seeking immediate legal advice.

The SVHG row will bring other hospitals under the spotlight and the HSE will examine if similar work practices are operating elsewhere.

Last night, Health Minister James Reilly backed the HSE position on the consultants’ contracts.

Mr O’Brien also defended the proposed new contract for GPs, denying a clause requesting doctors not to say anything to damage the HSE’s name or reputation was a “gagging clause”.

He said it was merely asking that doctors raise issues in a “proportionate way” and the clause would be clarified if needs be. The new contract would cover plans to extend free GP care to children under six, but GPs said last night that plans to introduce it by this summer are “unachievable”. In a slight change of tone, Dr Reilly said he was hopeful it would come in this year.