Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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98. To ask the Minister for Health his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding red eye doctors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4034/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Officials from my Department together with the Department of Justice and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation have given consideration to visa and work permit arrangements for doctors who come from non-EU countries. Recent immigration and visa changes have been aimed at ensuring, in the first instance, that they support the recruitment of doctors from abroad to fill vacant posts. The revised arrangements enable doctors to be recruited on an agency basis, however they are aimed primarily at facilitating the filling of posts on a permanent basis.

In July 2013 a Working Group was established, chaired by Professor Brian MacCraith, to carry out a strategic review of medical training and career structures. The Group submitted its final report in June 2014. The final Report of the Strategic Review of Medical Training and Career Structures (3rd McCraith Report) stated – in relation to doctors in service posts in the acute hospital sector that:

“Career structures and pathways for these doctors are limited. The Group recommends that processes are put in place by the HSE, as a matter of priority, to consider how best to address this issue, having due regard to the following:

- The needs and requirements of the public health system, including service reconfiguration and integrated models of care;

- Patient safety and quality of the patient experience;

- Registration, qualifications and training, clinical governance, CPD and supervisory arrangements.”

My Department, in conjunction with relevant stakeholders, is pursuing implementation of the recommendations made by the MacCraith Group to support NCHD and consultant recruitment and retention.

We are currently finalising with the HSE a proposal for the re-grading of non-training NCHD posts to a Service Grade doctor post. This proposal will soon be issued to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for sanction.