HOSPITAL CONSULTANTS will meet Minister for Health Mary Harney today to raise concerns about her threat to withhold pay increases over what she says is their failure to implement new work practices.
Consultants recently opted to accept new, higher-paid contracts in return for the work practice changes.
Ms Harney told an Oireachtas committee last week that she intended to withhold €68 million in salary increases and additional payments to consultants because, among other issues, clinical directors hadn't yet been appointed to hospitals.
However, it has emerged that the Health Service Executive advertised for the new clinical director posts only last Friday, the day after Ms Harney addressed the committee.
In a circular from its national hospitals office inviting applications for the posts, the HSE said that as an initial step, "nominations will be sought for the appointment of one Clinical Director in each Hospital Group under the aegis of the National Hospitals Office . . . the appointment process will conclude on 16th January 2009".
The clinical directors will have a wide range of responsibilities, including ensuring consultants with entitlements to treat private patients do not spend excessive periods treating them at the expense of public patients.
The Irish Hospital Consultants' Association (IHCA), which represents a majority of consultants, is due to meet Ms Harney today to air its concerns about her plans to withhold pay increases.
Donal Duffy, IHCA assistant general secretary, insisted yesterday that consultants are delivering on their commitments under the new contract, including working longer hours, insofar as they can.
"If the jobs aren't advertised it's very difficult to apply for those particular posts," he said.
One consultant said yesterday he believed the Minister just cannot afford to pay the new higher salaries in the current economic climate and she should have the honesty to say so, rather than just blaming consultants for not earning the pay rises.
But Ms Harney told the Oireachtas committee money was not an issue.
She said the money was for change including longer working days, structured weekend cover and clinical directors.
"It is not a money issue. It is an issue to do with whether the changes have been implemented. The sanction that will go to the HSE is that it cannot be paid unless we are assured the changes are put into effect in 2008. Given that we are almost at the end of 2008, I do not envisage that those monies will be paid," she said.
Meanwhile the IHCA has asked all its members to write to the HSE advising it of the hours they have worked since signing the new contact.
Furthermore it has asked the 300 or so consultants who opted for a public patient only contract to advise the HSE they have suffered a loss of income from private patients in anticipation of receiving an increased salary. There is a suggestion that if these consultants do not get their higher salaries they may engage in retrospective billing of private patients.