Consultants to be offered €250,000 to treat only public patients

The new Slaintecare contract is part of the plan to remove private practice from public hospitals over the next decade.

In return they will be among the best paid doctors in the world with salaries starting at €222,460, rising further to € 252,150 by July 2022.

Health Minister Simon Harris and Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohue said from quarter two next year all future consultant appointments will be to the new Sláintecare consultant contract .

It will requires consultants employed by the State to focus to 100pc of their time on public-only work.

The proposal will be unpopular with doctor representative organisations who will want consultants to retain choice and not have to forego lucrative private income.

The ministers said the private practice will not be permitted under this new contract and this is central to this reform.

It is part of the Government measure to resolve the doctors’ dispute which could lead to industrial action in early 2020.

The dispute is over the failure to date to address the €50,000 pay gap which left consultants hired since 2012 around €50,000 worse off than longer serving colleagues. The ministers said these new contractual arrangements will apply to new entrants only.

Existing consultants will be offered the opportunity to switch to the new proposed contract but will also retain the option to remain on their existing contract.

Mr Harris said : “Today is a landmark day for patients in Ireland. Moving towards single-tier public hospital care will mean a fairer health service, a more sustainable and efficient hospital service, and shorter waiting times.

“This will take time, but we are committing to hiring 1,885 consultants between now and 2030 on public-only contracts. This will deliver better value for money and will unlock the vision set out in Sláintecare. This will give a net increase of 1,000 consultants by 2030."

Minister Donohoe added: “This a generational opportunity to reform the way hospital care is delivered in Ireland.

"Requiring consultants to focus on public-only work is a significant reform and the increased rates of pay being announced reflect that.

"The De Buitleir Report on removing private practice from public hospitals, on which these measures are based, shows that the rates of pay that we are applying to the new Sláintecare contract compare very favourably in international terms.

"I hope that the hospital consultant representative organisations will get behind this reform in the public interest which is key to delivering on the vision of Sláintecare.

"Changes to how we manage and deliver public healthcare cannot achieve their full potential so long as senior healthcare decision-makers devote part of their time and focus to private business activities. That is why this reform is key. This reform together with the additional recruitment Government will fund over the coming years will help to deliver real improvements for patients who depend on our public health system.”