Planned industrial action by clinical measurement physiologists (CMPs), due to commence today, Friday 30th January, has been temporarily suspended as talks between Fórsa and the HSE are to resume at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) this morning. 

While talks at the WRC earlier this week ended without agreement, a meeting of Fórsa's CMP disputes committee this afternoon decided to return to the WRC, following an exchange of correspondence with the HSE. In a memo to members issued on Thursday evening, Fórsa national secretary Linda Kelly advised that the decision to return to talks was made with "a view to reaching a collective agreement on all outstanding matters in dispute, and a timeline for resolution."

CMPs are highly trained diagnostic specialists whose work is indispensable to modern healthcare. Doctors depend on the complex tests they perform to diagnose and treat patients across cardiac, respiratory, neurophysiology, gastrointestinal and vascular services, and demand for these diagnostic services continues to rise. Yet CMPs are still working to job descriptions dating back to 1987, which fail to reflect advances in technology or the level of responsibility now carried by the profession.

Fórsa, which represents just over 350 CMPs nationwide, said the dispute could be readily resolved through constructive engagement and a commitment by the HSE to properly recognise their concerns. These include the completion and implementation of a joint workforce review and an end to the costly outsourcing of CMP services within the public health system. Fórsa said a staffing agreement for chronic disease hubs, where many CMPs are based, is also essential.

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