Following the agreement reached between Government and the Private Hospitals Association, and previous correspondence please find below clarification received from the HSE on the specific issues raised:

• Clear start and end date of contract to be offered
  • The contract is backdated to date of the agreement between the State and the Private Hospital Association (31^st March) for a period of 3 months. There is provision for extension of the contract if required, in line with the terms of the agreement between the State and the Private Hospitals Association.
• Indemnity issues
  • The indemnity arrangements under the Clinical Indemnity scheme are backdated to the date of the agreement between the State and the Private Hospitals Association
• Work locations
  • Consultants will be assigned to work within a specific hospital but if required may be transferred to work elsewhere within the hospital group (or Community Healthcare Organisation for community based services).
• Continuity of care for patients
  • The HSE have confirmed the following arrangements to ensure continuity of care for patients of Consultants who opt to take this contract:
  • “Continuity of care is a top priority and it is envisaged that all current patients who require ongoing care will remain under the care of the participating consultant as a public patient. 
  • Patients currently in treatment and in need of continued urgent care will not be charged for their care.
  • For the duration of the agreement the statutory charges in respect of public patients will apply (with the exception of patients with COVID-19).
  • The policy intention is that non-COVID-19 urgent care will be provided in the private hospitals insofar as practicable and possible, based upon the progression of the disease. 
  • Arrangements will be put in place, on a compassionate basis, to ensure that patients receiving drugs or other treatment that are not currently provided in the public system will continue on their treatment. 
  • Staff and others currently directly employed by private consultants in off-site rooms can benefit from the income supports provided by the State, as appropriate. Other supports established by the Government to support business owners and their staff throughout the Covid-19 pandemic may also be available."
• Opportunity for existing Bs and Cs within the public system to avail of the temporary A contract should they so choose and with a guarantee to return to their existing contract following the period of the temporary contract
  • The IMO is continuing in discussions with the HSE and the Department of Health for the option to allow holders of B & C contracts to temporarily transfer to this temporary Type A contract for the duration of this crisis if they wish to do so.

 

The HSE have further clarified as follows:

 

• With specific reference to issues raised about the ongoing requirement for private rooms not included within the terms of the HoT (agreement between the State and the Private Hospital Association), the HSE can determine appropriate arrangements, if such arrangements are deemed necessary and represent value for money. These facilities will be limited to public activity only in line with the need to assure continuity of care.
• The provisions of the 2015 WRC Agreement in relation to incremental credit will apply
• Provisions for death-in-service and overtime arrangements.
• The annual cap of €30,000 on C-Factor payments.

 

We are strongly of the view that the unjust and inequitable pay discrimination that exists for those consultants appointed post October 2012 should be addressed in the context of the urgent recruitment drive to get more consultants into the public system. It is little consolation to those consultants to receive thanks for their efforts yet still have those very efforts and their commitment to the public system undervalued.

 

We will be in touch as soon as we have further information and in the meantime if you have any queries please contact our member advisory team on (01)6767273 or by email at memberadvisoryunit@imo.ie.