The Fórsa trade union has written to its members in that hospital stating that some of those PwC consultants are giving direction to CUH staff and attending operational meetings: Forsa has advised members to cease interacting with these consultants and not to attend or participate in meetings with them.

There can be no doubt that the health services are in sore need of reform and renewal. There have been so many controversies and crises over the years that it can be difficult to keep track of them all, while we have grown accustomed to the embarrassing reality that hundreds of patients must be accommodated on trolleys in our hospitals.

However, if the union’s assertion is correct, and PwC consultants are giving direction to staff, then this is a dangerous development for an obvious reason — the prospect of bean counters making decisions on matters which should be the province of clinicians is not one to inspire confidence in any prospective patient. 

This is before one even considers the fees being paid to PwC for its work — over €600,000 was paid out for consultancy fees between last October and December alone. 

It is interesting that the consultants have been hired to implement a “transformation and improvement” programme at CUH, because those terms provide a clear statement of the metrics by which the work can be judged. 

Earlier this week there were 75 patients in the Cork hospital waiting for a bed, and as noted above, an industrial dispute is looming.

It’s difficult to see transformation in those circumstances but it’s impossible to see any improvement, which raises an obvious question: Who are the beneficiaries of these exorbitant sums being paid to consultants?