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Commenting on Budget 2021, Professor Alan Irvine, President, Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) said:   “We welcome much of what is contained in Budget 2021. The importance of the healthcare system to our society and economy has never been clearer. While we are playing catch-up, investment of an additional €4 billion in healthcare deserves to be recognised and provides much needed backing at a crucial time.    “We are pleased to see that many of those patient care areas we have been campaigning for through #carecantwait are recognised along with supports for those of us on the frontline.    “Dedicated funding on cancer care, maternity services and trauma are hugely significant and will benefit thousands of people. We commend Minister Donnelly on achieving agreement for these key initiatives.   “Financial backing for beds at acute, community and intensive care levels is positive. Moving quickly to use this funding while in tandem providing transparency on bed delivery numbers at hospital level will give confidence to patients and healthcare professionals alike.    “Signals to finally address the deficit in hospital consultant numbers is one we all want to see realised. Addressing the consultant deficit is a three-legged stool of funding, enabling legislation to reverse the damaging 2012 decision in full, and agreement. On all three, we are finally seeing a chink of light. There is no time to lose given winter is upon us, the added pressure of the pandemic, and over 840,000 people continue to wait for care. We must now move quickly to get times in the diary to commence discussions with Minister Donnelly and health service management to ensure workable solutions are agreed.”   ENDS  

“COVID-19 reveals co-dependency that exists between a sustainable economy and properly resourced health system”

Commenting on the fact that 843,363 people are now waiting for care, Prof Alan Irvine, President, Irish Hospital Consultants Association, said: 

Commenting on the two measures signalled by government today—the decision to hire additional public health staff and Cabinet approval to draft new legislation which will impact on the delivery of healthcare—Professor Alan Irvine, President of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) said: 

“A promise to invest in services but not in the professionals required to deliver them” 

Professor Alan Irvine, Consultant Dermatologist at Children’s Health Ireland elected new President to represent over 90% of Irish hospital consultants; National Officers include Dr. Gabrielle Colleran (Vice President), Prof. Clare Fallon (Treasurer) and Dr. Conor O’Riordan (Membership Secretary); IHCA sets out key objectives of ending the consultant recruitment and retention crisis, advocating for patients, and reducing ‘still growing’ hospital waiting lists.  The Irish Hospital Consultant Association (IHCA) announced today, Friday, 11 September 2020, the election of its National Officers for the period 2020/2021. 

Latest rise in patient waiting times comes the same day NPHET warns of the high likelihood of insufficient staffing levels to respond to service demands. 9,634 added to public outpatient waiting list in August, as 841,459 now on various NTPF waiting lists; 9.5% increase in the number of those waiting for care since the beginning of 2020;  Consultants warn that promise of ‘winter plan’ is an inadequate response and that immediate funded plan to tackle capacity deficits is needed;  New IHCA President elected at critical time for hospital consultants as health system braces for ‘winter like no other’.  IHCA President Professor Alan Irvine: “We still do not have a winter plan and it remains unclear what increased public hospital capacity will be provided…If significantly increased capacity is not urgently provided to prepare for the extraordinary winter surge due to COVID-19 and other demand increases, then it will simply be too late.”