Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the question. The project she referenced, namely, the model 3 hospital project, was initiated by the HSE - the RCSI was heavily involved in it - to investigate exactly these issues: the challenges in recruitment and retention of consultants across specialties in the model 3 hospitals, and then, of course, to make recommendations. I was very happy to launch the report with the NDTP just a few months ago, on 9 November. I acknowledge the significance of the report and the work of all of those involved in it.

The report is pretty stark and highlights the differences between model 3 and model 4 hospitals with regard to recruitment and retention of consultants. As a group, the model 3 hospitals, albeit not all of them, find it harder to recruit consultants in. They find it harder to have the NCHDs apply for jobs that become available. The study shows the consultant posts are not as appealing to candidates in the model 3 hospitals as they are in the model 4 hospitals for quite a broad range of reasons. Part of it is the fact that, generally, younger doctors who are starting their pathways as consultants tend to want to work in larger hospitals. They tend to want to work in bigger, multidisciplinary settings. According to the report, some have the view that the work-life balance is more manageable in a model 4 hospital because you have more staff. What we have in some of the model 3 hospitals in particular specialties is that there may be a very small team. That leads to issues like more time on call.

Specifically, on the question of when we are going to start implementing the recommendations, the answer is that in quarter 2 of this year, on a targeted, site-by-site basis, we are going to begin to roll out the recommendations from the report.

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