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Harris described it as a landmark day for patients in Ireland. Sam Boal

HSE consultants will be offered €250k wage if they focus 100% on public work and drop private practice

The new contract for consultant doctors offers increased pay levels of up to €222,460, rising further to €252,150 by July 2022.

CONSULTANT DOCTORS EMPLOYED by the State will have to focus 100% of their time on public-only work from mid-2020.

Announcing the new Sláintecare contract for consultants, Health Minister Simon Harris said from the second quarter of 2020, all future consultant appointments will be to the new Sláintecare Consultant contract.

Private practice will not be permitted under this new contract, which the minister said is central to the reform of the Irish health service.

The new contract for consultant doctors offers increased pay levels of up to €222,460, rising further to €252,150 by July 2022.

These new contractual arrangements will apply to new entrants only.

However, existing consultants who may be enticed by the increase in pay, will be offered the opportunity to switch to the new proposed contract.

They will retain the option to remain on their existing contract if they so wish.

Currently, many hospital consultants have contracts allowing them to treat public and private patients.

Today’s announcement is a big step in the roll out of the Slaintecare plan, and one of the key recommendations contained in the Donal de Buitléir report which reviewed private activity in public hospitals.

Operating in public hospitals

In order to end consultants operating private clinics in public hospitals, the report recommended that those holding contracts from 2008 or earlier should be offered a “contract change payment” to move to the new Sláintecare consultant contract.

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.”

Finance and Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe added that it is a “generational opportunity to reform the way hospital care is delivered in Ireland”.

He said getting consultants to focus on public-only work is a significant reform, and pointed out that the increased rates of pay being announced reflect that.

Donohoe added that the new Sláintecare contract compares very favourably in  international in terms of pay, and he urged hospital consultant representative organisations to “get behind” the changes, which is said in the public interest.

Harris concluded by saying that he looks forward to consulting with all relevant stakeholders on the roll out of the Sláintecare contract early in the New Year “as we take the important next steps on the journey to single-tier public hospital care”.

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    Mute Meatball Martin
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:11 PM

    That’s great lol

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    Mute Marvin Dollery
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:07 PM

    That thing is a monster. Fair play!

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    Mute FlipBip
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:31 PM

    Good job lads!

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    Mute Gaelactico
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:21 PM

    What’s with the “23ft”? Are we going all Brexit? I remember getting thumped at school about 50 years ago for using inches instead of centimetres.

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    Mute brendan hackett
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:29 PM

    @Gaelactico: That’s bull.

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    Mute James Whelan
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    Jan 8th 2025, 4:06 PM

    @Gaelactico: I still use feet and inches. And miles. The only metric units I use are Celsius and millimeters for camera lenses.

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    Mute Billy Joe
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    Jan 8th 2025, 6:08 AM

    Get these lads to build all future bike sheds, bus stops, security barriers etc. Don’t waste this budding talent.

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    Mute Joe Willis
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    Jan 8th 2025, 4:47 PM

    @Billy Joe: lad wait til they get the smell of money and they will be putting in a 400 grand price to do the bike shed… and they would get awarded the contract too.

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    Mute Vinny Shaughnessy
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:51 PM

    Elton John was there for the taking

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    Mute Aurelio
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    Jan 7th 2025, 8:08 PM

    @Vinny Shaughnessy: Melting John perhaps ?

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    Mute William McSweeney
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:56 PM

    Servatius, you’re correcting all of my homework assignments for the next week.

    Regards,
    ‘Bill’

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    Mute Servatius Antonius
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    Jan 7th 2025, 7:12 PM

    @William McSweeney: But I built you the biggest snowman in Ireland

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    Mute Pork Hunt
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    Jan 7th 2025, 11:58 PM

    @Servatius Antonius: family of 12 of these ffs

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    Mute William McSweeney
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    Jan 8th 2025, 4:00 PM

    @Pork Hunt: awww poor you.

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    Mute Billy Joe
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    Jan 8th 2025, 6:13 AM

    They put the carrot in the wrong place

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    Mute Billy Joe
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    Jan 8th 2025, 5:58 AM

    Ya can’t beat a university education.

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    Mute Dave Grant
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    Jan 7th 2025, 5:53 PM

    Can someone fact check if it was indeed classed as a “Snow Storm”

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    Mute Ajax Penumbra
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    Jan 7th 2025, 6:01 PM

    @Dave Grant: Do it yourself.

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    Mute Mary Breezer
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    Jan 8th 2025, 12:28 PM

    Well done lads Remember some years ago the smallest snow man was in Mayo

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    Mute Anthony Griffin
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    Jan 10th 2025, 4:20 PM

    ___

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