Consultants hit out at HSE’s recruitment policy

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has hit out at the HSE for not insisting that newly-recruited consultants have completed their higher specialist training.

This allows consultants to register to train junior doctors in hospitals.

The organisation says appointing people to the new posts without this training will dilute the care being offered to public patients.

IMO spokesperson, Dr Mick Molloy, said that they are concerned it could lead to a shortage of hospital doctors.

“Going forward, if a doctor gets appointed to a consultant post who is not on the specialist register, he or she cannot be involved - which means a particular hospital would have difficulty staffing its posts,” he said.