From the website of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland:
PRESS STATEMENT Immediate Publication 4th May 2007 :
RCPI has no role or involvement in issues regarding industrial relations, and it has not been the practice of RCPI to comment on such matters. However, issues relating to the current consultant contract negotiations have the potential to impact negatively on future standards in medical training, specialty practice and ultimately on patient care, and it is incumbent on RCPI to clearly state its position on these issues.
The future well-being of the Irish Health Service and the quality of care afforded to patients depends to a very significant degree on all key participants – consultants, doctors-in-training, management, nurses and other healthcare professionals and workers – working together in an environment where there is mutual respect and trust. In the interests of patient care, it is the responsibility of each and every one of these groups to play a part in creating this environment, particularly during the course of a very difficult process of change.
It is clear, given the nature of their expertise and position and as has been acknowledged by the HSE, that consultants have a critically important leadership role to play in the reform of the health service. In this context, it is essential that existing consultants and prospective candidates for consultant positions have confidence in the contractual arrangement for those positions and the process by which doctors are selected for those positions.
RCPI strongly supports the projected increase in consultant numbers, and is prepared to engage in the recruitment process from the perspective of maintaining standards in the context of an agreed contract. Further, RCPI believes that the primary goal of the consultant recruitment process must be to select candidates of the highest calibre who have demonstrated a high standard of practice in their speciality as evidenced by successful completion of an accredited training programme. In this regard, RCPI reiterates its view that all appointees to consultant positions must, at a minimum, be on the Specialist Register of the Medical Council.
One of the major successes of the health service in Ireland over the past number of years has been the development of high quality training programmes for doctors, which enable doctors to reach the standard required for entry onto the Medical Council’s Specialist Register. This has allowed the health service to recruit and retain highly talented and motivated doctors at all levels. It is of fundamental importance to the quality of patient care that such doctors continue to train and to seek employment in Ireland.
RCPI is deeply concerned that our existing cohort of Specialist Registrars (doctors undertaking a 4-7 year training programme in a specific medical specialty, such as Cardiology, Medical Oncology, Respiratory Medicine etc), have informed us that they believe that the current situation in relation to the consultant contract will undermine high standards of medical practice and medical training and deter them from continuing to work in the Irish health service.
All postgraduate medical training programmes are entirely dependent on the leadership and time given to those programmes by consultants in their roles as Trainers and National Speciality Directors. Their role in training and education of future specialists is absolutely central. The maintenance and development of high quality training programmes is entirely dependent on the employment of consultants of the highest standard. If any other standard is accepted, the quality of training programmes will be directly and immediately affected and as a consequence patient care compromised.
Within the current negotiations, RCPI believes that there is an opportunity to reach agreement on a contract that will attract the best candidates from Ireland and abroad, and will provide a real platform to enable clinical leadership and commitment to high standards in training and practice. This will directly impact on the quality and nature of patient care in Ireland for decades to come. The importance of this outcome demands that all parties redouble efforts to resolve outstanding issues as a matter of urgency.
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Read the statment in a PDF format from this link.
