Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Burke for raising this important matter. Non-consultant hospital doctors, NCHDs, play a fundamental role in the provision of services in our hospitals. The Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, is committed to improving their working conditions and to ensuring they can have suitable career pathways and job security within the Irish health system.

Approximately 80% of the 4,900 NCHDs working in the public system hold structured training posts while 20% hold service posts. At present the duration of the NCHDs' employment contracts are determined by the nature of their training arrangements, the location of their employment, whether they rotate between various sites and who their employers are.

The Minister wishes to see arrangements developed which will ensure NCHDs in training programmes are provided with certainty at the beginning of training schemes regarding the location of rotations over the course of a scheme and that those in non-training posts are given contracts of a duration that make their employment sustainable and attractive in the longer term. The establishment of the hospital groups framework will facilitate the development of these contracts. The fact that a significant proportion of our NCHDs are on six-month contracts brings a level of uncertainty to the filling of posts each January and July when the cyclical rotations occur. The Minister wants to end this uncertainty by ensuring our NCHDs want to work and develop their careers here and he is satisfied that the range of initiatives in train will achieve this.

In July this year the Minister set up a working group chaired by Professor Brian MacCraith, president of DCU, to carry out a strategic review of the medical training and career structure of NCHDs. The terms of reference of the review include making recommendations aimed at improving graduate retention in the public health system, planning for future service needs, and realising maximum benefit from investment in medical education and training. The Minister wishes to acknowledge the focus that Professor MacCraith and the members of this group have brought to their work within a tight timeframe.

During October and November the working group met a number of key stakeholders, including trainee doctors, the Medical Council, postgraduate training bodies and clinicians in senior management in the HSE. The group submitted its interim report to the Minister last week and he is very pleased with the findings, which include a number of practical recommendations that can be progressed quite quickly. The interim report will be published shortly. The group is now moving to stage two of its work with a view to submitting its final report to the Minister by June 2014.

The agreement reached between the HSE and the Irish Medical Organisation at the Labour Relations Court in October on addressing working hours and achieving compliance with the European working time directive specifically encompassed NCHD recruitment and retention. It reaffirms the commitment in the Haddington Road agreement to reviewing the NCHD career structure with the aim of further developing career and training pathways for all grades of NCHD to consultant and specialist level. It also identifies successful graduate recruitment and retention as key to achieving compliance with the working time directive. The Minister has identified the attainment of compliance as a key priority for HSE management. Reducing the hours many NCHDs are required to work will make working here more attractive. The Minister is determined that as part of the overall health reform programme we build a public health system that values the contribution and commitment of trainee doctors and we want to ensure this very talented workforce are offered a rewarding and satisfying career here in Ireland.