Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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1387. To ask the Minister for Health the steps he has taken in response to the Strategic Review of Medical Training and Career Structure (MacCraith) Reports. [13231/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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A Working Group, chaired by Prof. Brian MacCraith, was established in July 2013 to carry out a strategic review of medical training and career structure. The Working Group was tasked with examining and making high-level recommendations relating to training and career pathways for doctors. The Strategic Review of Medical Training and Career Structure (MacCraith) Reports was published in 2014.

The Strategic Review Working Group recommended, inter alia, that the Department of Health and the HSE jointly agree and put in place appropriate multi-stakeholder arrangements to oversee continued implementation of the Strategic Review recommendations. The Department of Health subsequently established an Implementation Monitoring Group (IMG), comprising key stakeholders including trainee doctors, the Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies, HSE, IMO, Medical Council, and the Health Workforce Research Group, RCSI. Following the publication of The Working Group’s final report, the Department of Health published regular update reports on the Department’s website.

Given the number of years that have passed since the publication of the MacCraith report the Minister established a new group the National Taskforce on NCHD Workforce in September 2022. The purpose of the Taskforce is to put in place sustainable workforce planning strategies and policies to address and improve NCHD experience to support present and future retention of NCHDs in Ireland. The work of the Taskforce will build on the work of the MacCraith report. The terms of reference specifically note that the recommendations from the Strategic Review of Medical Training and Career Structure (MacCraith) Reports will feed into the work of the National Taskforce.

The final Taskforce report is expected to be published in Autumn 2023.