Hospital consultants criticise HSE

Hospital consultants are hitting out at the HSE for a lack of urgency in efforts to finalise their new working contracts.

The national executive of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association met this afternoon, to discuss the progress in drawing up the contracts which were agreed on in principle in January.

Consultants and health chiefs finally reached agreement on issues such as pay, working hours and limits to private practice last month following almost two years of negotiations.

Consultants now say the HSE has lost momentum in finalising the deal.