Sophrosyne
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RTE Investigates,which aired last night found a failure by the HSE and hospital managements to properly implement the 2008 Hospital Consultants' Contract across acute public hospitals.
The 2008 contract provided significant pay increases to consultants in return for agreeing to limit their private practice. Under the deal, most consultants are contracted to work between 37 and 39 hours per week in the public system.
RTÉ Investigates research shows that failure to enforce the contract is resulting in 14 out of the 47 acute public hospitals exceeding the 20% limit at the expense of public patients and contributing to long waiting lists.
There appears to be a management failure to monitor the time consultants spend in certain public hospitals or within departments within public hospitals.
Consequently, certain consultants were paid in excess of €14,000 each in an 8-week period for work they did not do.
Data obtained by RTÉ Investigates showed that in 2015, the number of private patients treated in these public hospitals in excess of the 20% private ratio was more than 19,500.
Last year, the excess number increased to almost 24,000, which is a total of more than 43,500 public patients on waiting lists that lost out to private patients in the two-year period.
The 2008 contract provided significant pay increases to consultants in return for agreeing to limit their private practice. Under the deal, most consultants are contracted to work between 37 and 39 hours per week in the public system.
RTÉ Investigates research shows that failure to enforce the contract is resulting in 14 out of the 47 acute public hospitals exceeding the 20% limit at the expense of public patients and contributing to long waiting lists.
There appears to be a management failure to monitor the time consultants spend in certain public hospitals or within departments within public hospitals.
Consequently, certain consultants were paid in excess of €14,000 each in an 8-week period for work they did not do.
Data obtained by RTÉ Investigates showed that in 2015, the number of private patients treated in these public hospitals in excess of the 20% private ratio was more than 19,500.
Last year, the excess number increased to almost 24,000, which is a total of more than 43,500 public patients on waiting lists that lost out to private patients in the two-year period.
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