Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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385. To ask the Minister for Health to provide an update on implementation of the final recommendations of the National Taskforce on the Non-Consultant Hospital Doctor Workforce; if the medical education and training strategic planning committee and the group tasked with defining safe medical staffing levels have been established; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10515/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The final report of the NCHD Taskforce, published in February 2024, includes recommendations for immediate implementation, as well as medium to longer term recommendations to be implemented on a phased basis from 2024 to 2026. €5 million was allocated to support implementation of recommendations in 2023 and 2024.

The HSE established an implementation framework to support the delivery of the NCHD Taskforce recommendations and has prioritised immediate actions to deliver tangible improvements for NCHDs on clinical sites. Immediate implementation of recommendations in 2024 included projects to improve NCHD Learning Environments and Working and Wellbeing standards on clinical sites; enhanced NCHD Induction standards and supports; the HSE Occupational Health Support Hub for NCHDs; increased Flexible Training and Working Opportunities for NCHDs and increases in NCHD postgraduate training posts.

NCHD Taskforce recommendations are also supported with funding allocated in Budget 2024 and Budget 2025 for increases in postgraduate training places and the clinical educator programme. Funding of €7.7m was provided in Budget 2024 and €3.8m in Budget 2025 to support increases in NCHD post-graduate medical training places. This supports medical workforce planning and more doctors in specialist training programmes.

Significant increases in specialist postgraduate training places have been achieved over a six-year period from 2019/20 to 2024/25, including:

• o 26% increase across Basic Specialist Training (BST) Intakes.
• o 32% increase across Higher Specialist Training (HST) Intakes.
• o 31% increase in the total number of doctors enrolled in training programmes.

While these groups have not yet been formally established, the Department of Health is engaging with key stakeholders, HSE NDTP (National Doctors Training and Planning), the higher education sector, postgraduate medical training bodies, and other relevant stakeholders, to plan and progress the longer-term vision and future strategic direction of medical education and training. The Department and stakeholders will continue this work during 2025 and beyond.