HSE official defends hiring doctors to fill consultant posts

The deputy head of the Health Service Executive (HSE) has defended hiring doctors to fill consultant posts when they are not in fact consultants.

Dean Sullivan, deputy director general of the HSE, told the joint Oireachtas health committee that, such were the difficulties filling some posts, “sometimes, we’ve no choice”.

Mr O’Sullivan said it was likely to remain an issue, but that hospitals were putting checks and balances in place, where doctors were filling consultant posts, but were not on the specialist register.