Row over doctor pay scales ends as IMO accepts deal

Proposals that will allow doctors reach the top of their pay scale faster than previously envisaged have been accepted by the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) — ending its dispute with the Government and the HSE.

The revised proposals — an advance on an offer which the IMO rejected last October — means consultants working in public hospitals will have a starting salary of €127,000, rising to a maximum of €175,000 on a nine-point performance- related incremental scale.

While the salary figures are the same as those put forward last autumn, the timeframe in which to reach the top of the scale has reduced — the new scale contains nine points instead of 12, with annual increments.