General Motions 2016
General Motions Session 1
Thursday 31st March
6:30PM-8.00 PM
Thursday 31st March
6:30PM-8.00 PM
General Motions
SESSION I Thursday 31st March 6.30pm – 8pm
A NEW PRESCRIPTION FOR HEALTH
- The IMO calls on the incoming Government to acknowledge that our public health services are not capable of meeting patient demand and that the provision of quality health services to our citizens is the priority issue for Government. In this context the IMO is calling for the Departments of Health and Public Expenditure and Reform to commit to a five year investment programme for our health services to redress the effects of the short sighted economic measures of recent years that has resulted in damaging the fabric of our health services to the extent that we are continuing to work at dangerous capacity levels, there are ongoing reductions in services to patients and we are effectively forcing our medical professionals to leave Ireland and work abroad.
Proposer: IMO Council
Status: Carried as Amended
- The IMO calls on the incoming Government to acknowledge that our public health services are not capable of meeting patient demand and that the provision of quality health services to our citizens is the priority issue for Government. In this context the IMO is calling for the Departments of Health and Public Expenditure and Reform to commit to a five year investment programme for our health services to redress the effects of the short sighted economic measures of recent years that has resulted in damaging the fabric of our health services to the extent that the health services are continuing to work at dangerous capacity levels, there are ongoing reductions in services to patients and circumstances are effectively forcing our medical professionals to leave Ireland and work abroad.
UK JUNIOR DOCTORS
- This meeting expresses support for our Junior Doctor colleagues in the UK in their ongoing contract dispute over patient safety issues.
Proposer: NCHD Committee
Status: Carried
ATRIAL FIBRILLATION
- The IMO calls for an immediate and proper screening programme for Atrial Fibrillation that recognises its intermittent and asymptomatic nature, its importance in causing stroke and its significant prevalence in ageing communities as the leading preventable cause of severe disabling stroke.
Proposer: IMO Consultants Committee
Status: Carried
DEMENTIA FRIENDLY HEALTH SERVICE ENVIRONMENT
- The IMO recognises the rise in dementia with our aging society and calls on the HSE to ensure that all new hospital builds and healthcare service locations are dementia friendly and espouse dementia friendly concepts.
Proposer: IMO Consultants Committee
Status: Carried
GRADUATE ENTRY MEDICAL PROGRAMMES
- This meeting calls on the Departments of Health, Education and Finance to consider and make recommendations in respect of the high cost of Graduate Entry Medical Programmes which, in the current form results in high levels of student debt and makes entry to such programmes inequitable in terms of access.
Proposer: NCHD Committee
Status: Carried
SPORTS INJURIES
- Both nationally and internationally there has been much debate in regard to the accurate recording of sports injuries in schools. The IMO calls on the Government to establish a mandatory reporting system to the Health and Safety Authority of all school sports related injuries that occur to students.
Proposer: Dr Ray Walley
Seconder: Dr Tadhg Crowley
Status: Carried
DATA PROTECTION ISSUES
- The IMO calls on the Data Protection Commissioner to work with the Chief Information Officer and with competent authorities for data protection in Europe to ensure that Electronic Health Records and critical IT infrastructure in healthcare are adequately protected from cyber attacks with may come from within or outside the jurisdiction.
Proposer: IMO International Affairs Committee
Status: Carried
- The IMO calls on the Data Protection Commissioner to inform both users and doctors that mHealth applications which are not used in patient care, such as well-being or lifestyle apps, may reveal sensitive information about the health of an individual and to ensure that data privacy is strictly protected.
Proposer: IMO International Affairs Committee
Status: Carried
- The IMO calls on the Post Graduate Training Bodies to ensure that data protection issues and the use of new health technologies are included in mandatory CME/CPD Programmes.
Proposer: IMO International Affairs Committee
Status: Carried as Amended
- The IMO calls on the Medical Council and the Post Graduate Training Bodies to ensure that data protection issues and the use of new health technologies are included in mandatory CME/CPD Programmes.
HIGH CALORIE SOFT DRINKS
10.This meeting calls for the introduction of appropriate taxation or pricing measures to discourage the consumption of high sugar and high calories soft drinks and that such additional exchequer funding derived be ring fenced for health programmes aimed at tackling the obesity problems.
Proposer: Mayo GP Branch
Status: Carried
ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURIES
- This meeting calls on the HSE and Department of Health to recognise that the current rehabilitative services for those suffering from acquired brain injuries are inadequate to meet the level of demand and all effort must be made to ensure that the level of services are increased so as to improve vital access.
Proposer: NCHD Committee
Status: Carried
HIQA
- The IMO calls upon the Minister for Health and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to ensure that all locations where public health services are delivered are adequately resourced to meet and exceed HIQA standards of care. Dictating standards without providing appropriate resource supports to implement those standards is a policy doomed to failure.
Proposer: IMO GP Committee
Status: Carried as Amended
- The IMO calls upon the Minister for Health, the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to ensure that all locations where public health services are delivered are adequately resourced to meet and exceed HIQA standards of care. Dictating standards without providing appropriate resource supports to implement those standards is a policy doomed to failure.
REFORM OF MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE SYSTEM
- The IMO calls on the Minister for Health to immediately establish a Task Force to make recommendations for the reform of the current medical negligence system which does not serve patients, medical profession or State. Such task force to have representation from all stakeholders including the IMO.
Proposer: IMO Council
Status: Carried
HEALTH INFORMATION BILL
- The IMO calls upon the Department of Health to immediately publish and implement the long awaited Health Information Bill so that the health intelligence functions of the HSE can be fully underpinned and developed.
Proposer: Public Health and Community Health Doctor Committee
Status: Carried
SPORTS FACILITIES
- The IMO calls on the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to fully resource the provision and maintenance of public sports facilities, in particular swimming pool facilities, in the interest of health and water safety.
Proposer: Public Health and Community Health Doctor Committee
Status: Carried as Amended
- The IMO calls on the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and the Department of the Environment to fully resource the provision and maintenance of public sports facilities, in particular swimming pool facilities, in the interest of health and water safety.
HEALTH INTELLIGENCE
- The IMO calls upon the HSE to put in place processes to enable and ensure that the potential of available health related data can be used by Health Intelligence/Public Health to support national functions of HSE, Hospital Groups, Hospital and Community Healthcare Organisations.
Proposer: Public Health and Community Health Doctor Committee
Status: Carried
TRAINING FOR DOCTORS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
- The IMO asks the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland to continue to foster and support high quality postgraduate training of doctors in developing countries particularly where there is poverty and urgent healthcare needs.
Proposer: IMO Consultants Committee
Status: Carried as Amended
- The IMO asks all Irish undergraduate medical schools and all Irish post- graduate training bodies to continue to foster and support high quality undergraduate and post-graduate training of doctors in developing countries particularly where there is poverty and urgent healthcare needs.
FUNDING FROM OVERSEAS FOR POSTGRADUATE TRAINING
- The IMO calls upon the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland to ensure that funding received from overseas governments in support of postgraduate training of doctors does not legitimise regimes that actively support international terrorism, sectarianism, misogyny, homophobia or have laws enshrining such ideals.
Proposer: IMO Consultants Committee
Status: Carried
General Motions Session 2
Friday 1st April
11AM-1PM
Friday 1st April
11AM-1PM
General Motions
SESSION II Friday, 1st April 11am – 1pm
PARENT/CHILD PARKING
19. This meeting calls on the Government to promote the provision of Parent/Child parking places at locations where public services are delivered.
Proposer: Dr Seamus Healy
Seconder: Dr Tony Healy
Status: Carried
HOMELESSNESS
20. The IMO calls on the Minister for Health to recognise the need for the development and implementation of a coordinated, resourced national strategy for the physical, mental health and social needs of our homeless population. This should include an evaluation of the funding mechanisms for homelessness and health, together with a review of the services provided by the HSE and HSE funded organisations in the community and voluntary sector.
Proposer: NCHD Committee
Status: Carried as Amended
The IMO calls on the Minister for Health to recognise the need for the development and implementation of a coordinated, resourced national strategy for the physical, mental health and social needs of our homeless population with a particular emphasis on the importance of Primary Care. This should include an evaluation of the funding mechanisms for homelessness and health, together with a review of the services provided by the HSE and HSE funded organisations in the community and voluntary sector.
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
21. The IMO calls on the Government to acknowledge that mental health services are inadequately funded and not resourced to meet the growing demand for the services particularly in relation to the mental health needs of our children. On this the 10th anniversary of a Vision for Change the IMO calls for a new mental health strategy that is fully resourced and implemented in an appropriate time frame.
Proposer: Dr Matthew Sadlier
Seconder: Dr Ray Walley
Status: Carried
22. The IMO calls on the HSE to recognise the stress related issues associated with the practising of medicine and calls on the HSE to develop and implement appropriate mental health support services for doctors
Proposer: NCHD Committee
Status: Carrried
CHILDREN AND THE HEALTH SERVICES
23. The IMO calls on the HSE and the Department of Health to ensure the quality of access to all health services for the children of Ireland is equivalent to that of adult services.
Proposer: Dr John Donnellan
Seconder: Dr John Duddy
Status: Carried as Amended
The IMO calls on the HSE and the Department of Health to ensure the quality of access to all health services for the children and adolescents of Ireland is equivalent to that of adult services.
24. The IMO calls on the Children’s Ombudsman to ensure that the children of Ireland are not being deprived of medical services because of their age.
Proposer: Dr John Donnellan
Seconder: Dr John Duddy
Status: Carried
25. The IMO calls on the HSE to urgently develop a paediatric interventional radiology service as has become standard practice in all other developed countries.
Proposer: Dr John Donnellan
Seconder: Dr John Duddy
Status: Carried
26. The IMO calls on the HSE, Department of Health and Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to stop subjecting children to substandard levels of care with outdated open surgical procedures where minimally invasive alternatives exist, solely as a result of poor medical workforce planning and resources.
Proposer: Dr John Donnellan
Seconder: Dr John Duddy
Status: Carried
27. The IMO calls on the HSE to resource the addition of Meningitis B Vaccination to the Primary Childhood Immunisation Programme in 2016 as per the National Immunisation Advisory Committee’s recommendations.
Proposer: Public Health and Community Health Doctors Committee
Status: Carried
28. In light of the recent adverse publicity on the HPV Vaccine, the IMO calls on the Minister for Health and the HSE to support the National Immunisations Office and the school vaccination teams with the necessary resources to communicate effectively with parents and adolescents the critical importance of the HPV Vaccine in preventing cervical cancer and other cancers, and genital warts, so as to maintain uptake at or above the target level of 85%.
Proposer: Public Health and Community Health Doctor Committee
Status: Carried
LEGAL ISSUES
29. This meeting calls on the Law Society to engage with the IMO regarding the practice of solicitors seeking the entirety of a patient’s medical record when all that is usually required is limited information. Such discussions are required to produce clear guidelines so that patients and solicitors are fully aware of the implications of giving the entirety of medical records in terms of confidentiality and informed consent.
Proposer: Dr Henry Finnegan
Seconder: Dr D Dolan
Status: Carried
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
30. The IMO demands that the HSE, Minister for Health and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform provide the required investment, both structurally and financially, in continuous professional development for all medical and nursing staff in the health services and to recognise that continuous professional development is an integral part of a quality driven health service.
Proposer: IMO Consultants Committee
Status: Carried as Amended
The IMO demands that the HSE, Minister for Health and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform provide the required investment, both structurally and financially, in continuous professional development for all medical, nursing staff and other clinical staff in the health services and to recognise that continuous professional development is an integral part of a quality driven health service.
MEDICAL DEVICES, APPS and REGULATION
31. The IMO calls on the Minister for Health to ensure that medical apps that may be used in clinical practice for the treatment of patients are subject to regulatory control in the same way as medical devices.
Proposer: IMO International Affairs Committee
Status: Carried as Amended
The IMO calls on the Minister for Health to ensure that medical apps that may be used in clinical practice for the treatment of patients are subject to regulatory control in the same way as medical devices, by enforcing the requirement of manufacturers of such as apps to register, as appropriate, with the Health Product Regulatory Authority
32. This meeting calls on the Department of Health to ensure that all medical devices be approved by the Health Products Regulatory Authority.
Proposer: Mayo GP Branch
Status: Carried
33. The IMO calls on the HSE to reduce and phase out the use of PVC medical device products especially those containing DEHP and urge adoption of safe cost-effective, alternative products where available.
Proposer: IMO International Affairs Committee
Status: Carried
TECHNOLOGY
34. This meeting calls on the HSE to invest in hospital telecommunication systems to replace the outdated bleep system.
Proposer: NCHD Committee
Status: Carried
35. This meeting calls on the HSE to ensure WiFi access in all hospitals for patients and staff.
Proposer: NCHD Committee
Status: Carried
MEDICAL COUNCIL
36. This meeting condemns the increases in Medical Council registration fees and calls on the Medical Council to listen to and cooperate with the IMO in relation to fee levels. Additionally this meeting calls on the Medical Council to honour commitments made to the IMO in July 2015.
Proposer: NCHD Committee
Status: Carried
37. This meeting calls on the Medical Council to engage with the IMO in relation to determining conditions whereby 4th Year GP Registrars can do paid locum work in General Practice outside of their training practices.
Proposer: Dr Henry Finnegan
Seconder: Dr D Dolan
Status: Carried
38. The IMO calls on the Government to end the anomaly where the Medical Council is funded by registration fees of doctors while no longer being a self-regulatory body and instead provide funding for the Medical Council from general taxation.
Proposer: Dr Kevin Kilbride
Seconder: Dr Matthew Sadlier
Status: Carried
GUIDELINES FOR DOCTORS WHO ARE PREGNANT
39. This meeting calls on the HSE to produce clear evidence based guidelines regarding duties for doctors who are pregnant.
Proposer: NCHD Committee
Status: Carried as Amended
This meeting calls on the HSE to produce clear evidence based guidelines regarding duties for doctors who are pregnant and allow a time and place for breastfeeding.
DEVELOPMENT OF INTEGRATED IT SYSTEM IN HEALTH
40. The IMO calls upon the HSE and the Minister for Health to recognise that the IT systems in the Irish health services are not fit for purpose and are in need of an urgent strategic review in terms of best practice, value for money and quality.
Proposer: IMO Consultants Committee
Status: Carried as Amended
The IMO calls upon the HSE and the Minister for Health to recognise that the IT systems in the Irish health services are not fit for purpose and are in need of an urgent strategic review in terms of best practice and quality.
ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT IN HSE
41. This meeting calls on the Minister for Health to review the processes of administration and management within the HSE with a view to identify efficiencies that can feed into improvements in patient care.
Proposer: IMO Consultants Committee
Status: Carried
General Motions Session 3
Friday 1st April
3PM-4PM
Friday 1st April
3PM-4PM
General Motions
SESSION III Friday, 1st April 3pm – 4pm
ACUTE HOSPITAL ISSUES
42. This meeting calls on the HSE and the Department of Health to ensure that all relevant unions are part of any group tasked with dealing with the crisis in our health services which is manifesting itself in overcrowding in our Emergency Departments.
Proposer: NCHD Committee
Status: Carried
43. This meeting calls on the HSE and the Department of Health to introduce structured pathways for referral of non emergency patients who require investigation, such pathways to be timely and appropriate to meet patient needs.
Proposer: NCHD Committee
Status: Carried
44. The IMO demands that the HSE, Minister for Health and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform immediately provide the required investment, both structurally and financially, in acute hospital bed capacity to enable our hospital system to provide an appropriate response to patients in need of acute hospital admission.
Proposer: IMO Consultants Committee
Status: Carried
45. The IMO demands that the HSE, Minister for Health and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform acknowledge that it is not appropriate to treat the sickest, most urgent patients on trolleys, chairs or in the corridors of our emergency departments.
Proposer: IMO Consultants Committee
Status: Carried as Amended
The IMO demands that the HSE, Minister for Health and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform acknowledge that it is disgraceful to treat the sickest, most urgent patients on trolleys, chairs or in the corridors of our emergency departments.
46. The IMO demands that the HSE, Minister for Health and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform recognise that our acute hospital system is operating well beyond capacity and that no capacity exists at present for unexpected surges in demand or major emergencies and consequently the IMO calls for an urgent review of major emergency response plans be undertaken.
Proposer: IMO Consultants Committee
Status: Carried
47. This meeting calls upon the HSE, Minister for Health and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to investigate the service and quality improvements that could be realised by developing tele-radiology, remote reporting and tele-diagnostic services in particular, so as to aid the smaller and medium sized hospitals in the Irish health service.
Proposer: Consultants Committee
Status: Carried
48.This meeting calls on the HSE and the Department of Health to explore the option of employing General Practitioners in Emergency Departments.
Proposer: Mayo GP Branch
Status: Carried
49.This meeting calls on the Department of Health and the HSE to ensure that the Boards of the new hospital groups and the individual hospitals within these groups have representation from GPs working in the community on their Boards. Such GPs to be nominated by their colleagues in the relevant community.
Proposer: Mayo GP Branch
Status: Carried as Amended
This meeting calls on the Department of Health and the HSE to ensure that the Boards of the new hospital groups and the individual hospitals within these groups have effective representation from GPs working in the community on their Boards. Such GPs to be nominated by their colleagues in the relevant community and for the full cost to be reimbursed by the HSE
INVESTMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE
50. The IMO calls upon the HSE, Minister for Health and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to provide the required investment, both structurally and financially, in GP led teams so as to develop our GP based services to enable GPs to provide a modern GP service to GMS patients which is not provided for under the current contract arrangements.
Proposer: IMO GP Committee and IMO Consultants Committee
Status: Carried
FUNDING OF HEALTHCARE
51. The IMO welcomes the decision to abandon the concept of Universal Health Insurance which, in the view of the IMO, is not a model that could deliver on affordability, equity of access and equality in healthcare. The IMO now calls on the incoming Government to publish a paper on options for the funding of our healthcare system including options in respect of a Social Insurance Model and a General Taxation Model.
Proposer: IMO Council
Status: Carried
ROLE OF THE DOCTOR
52. The IMO calls on the incoming Government to recognise and protect the essential Role of the Doctor in terms of the diagnosis and treatment of patients and commit not to undermine that role and put patient care and safety at risk.
Proposer: IMO Council
Status: Carried
General Motions Session 4
Saturday 2nd April
2PM-3PM
Saturday 2nd April
2PM-3PM
General Motions
SESSION IV Saturday, 2nd April 2pm – 3pm
PRIMARY EYE CARE REVIEW
53. This meeting calls on the HSE to engage with the IMO so as to review the contractual arrangements of Public Medical Ophthalmologists in light of the publication and recommendations of the Primary Eye Care Review.
Proposer: Dr G O’Malley
Seconder: Dr M Fenton
Status: Withdrawn
CONTRACTS WITH HSE
54. The IMO calls on the Minister for Health and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to commit to honouring contractual agreements negotiated between the IMO and the HSE and to cease the practice of unilaterally altering terms and conditions. The ongoing practice of contract breaches fosters a culture of lack of respect for doctors and lack of trust in the HSE and Government.
Proposer: IMO Council
Status: Carried
55. The IMO condemns the HSE, Department of Health and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for adopting a policy of refusing to pay contractual terms and conditions and instead forcing doctors to resort to legal proceedings in order to get paid their agreed entitlements. This policy is bad for the taxpayer as it only serves to waste valuable resources on legal fees which should be spent on our health services.
Proposer: IMO Council
Status: Carried
RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF DOCTORS
56. The IMO calls on Government to acknowledge that Ireland is losing its medical workforce to health services abroad and every effort must be made to develop contracts and working environments to encourage Irish trained doctors to work in our public health services so that they may use their much sought after skills in treating patients in Ireland.
Proposer: IMO Council
Status: Carried
57. The IMO calls on the HSE to initiate a programme of exit Interviews among those doctors who are leaving the public health service so as to allow the HSE to understand the reasons why doctors are leaving and deliver solutions to stop the trend of doctors emigrating.
Proposer: IMO Consultants Committee
Status: Carried
58. The IMO calls upon the HSE, Minister for Health and Minister for Public Enterprise and Reform to survey medical practitioners resident in Ireland and not resident in Ireland who remain on the Medical Council Register but who are not engaged in the medical practice in Ireland to determine what blocks exist to re-engaging them in the workforce. Following such determination steps should be taken to develop initiatives to support less than full time, flexible working or remote working as required.
Proposer: IMO Consultants Committee
Status: Carried
CONSULTANT DELIVERED SERVICE
59. This meeting supports the objective of a consultant delivered service but notes that successive Governments have failed to develop and implement effective policies to allow the development of such a service. This meeting calls on the Minister for Health to immediately:
- Examine the number of training posts which require to be funded to meet the level of consultant posts in such a service
- Negotiate suitable contracts for NCHDs and Consultants so as to ensure the medical manpower required is available to meet the objectives of a consultant delivered service.
Proposer: NCHD Committee
Status: Carried
STAFF GRADE
60. This AGM restates its opposition to the introduction of a Service Grade for doctors in the Irish Health Services and notes such a development would be a retrograde step in terms of delivering a consultant delivered service in Ireland.
Proposer: NCHD Committee
Status: Carried
61. That this AGM recognises that there is a group of NCHDs who hold/or have an entitlement to a CID but whose contract does not recognise their contribution and length of service and that this AGM would support the IMO to:
- Enter into negotiations with the Department of Health/HSE on a separate contract akin to Staff Grade which recognises their contribution in terms of experience and qualifications, level of responsibility and length of service as well as ensuring they are able to fulfil their competence assurance requirements in a manner which ultimately benefits the patient
- That a cap on the number of such posts nationally would be set as part of any contract agreement
- That these negotiations would take place in the context of the national NCHD Contract Reviews.
Proposer: Dr Dela Osthoff
Seconder: Dr Emer Ahern
Status: Defeated