IHCA Welcomes Hanly Report

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association has welcomed the publication of the Hanly Report but has warned that the problem of the bed capacity of our hospitals must be resolved in tandem with the implementation of Hanly.

Commenting on the Report, IHCA Secretary General, Finbarr Fitzpatrick stated;

"The recommendations regarding the reconfiguration of hospitals is likely to generate considerable debate. It is essential that definitive decisions on this aspect of the Report be taken at an early date. All of the recommendations regarding reduced NCHD hours, revised contracts for consultants and other health workers and the appointment of extra consultants are dependent on the political decisions that must be taken regarding the provision of acute services on a 24 hour 7 day basis in hospitals.

The political debate on a similar report on acute hospital services (Fitzgerald Report) published in the late 1960s dragged on for a decade or more. This must not reoccur with the Hanly Report.

The greatest single problem in our hospital services is lack of capacity. This must be addressed in tandem with the Hanly Report. No matter how one proposes to reconfigure our present hospital network, the A&E queues and waiting lists will continue until such time as our bed capacity is increased in line with the proposals in the National Health Strategy.

The Hanly Report addresses the medical manpower consequences of reduced NCHD hours in compliance with the European Working Time Directive. We welcome the proposal to increase the number of consultants to 3,100 by 2009 and to 3,600 by 2013. However, we must caution that this timetable is unsatisfactory. This Association has been calling for the appointment of 1,000 extra consultants for almost 5 years. It will take a significant number of years to train, recruit and place these consultants in hospitals.

The detail of the proposals will be discussed within the Association over the coming weeks and we expect to be in a position, at an early date, to enter negotiations with the Department of Health on possible revisions to the consultants’ contract. However, we must emphasise that the more flexible working arrangements, which the Association proposed in the late 1990s, will affect all hospital staff and therefore contract negotiations will have to take place with a wide range of health workers in addition to hospital consultants."

Contact: Finbarr Fitzpatrick

Secretary General