HSE says private work by consultants in public hospitals has ended under new contracts
A review by the Health Service Executive found that consultants are no longer providing private care in public hospitals, in line with the Public-Only Consultants Contract (POCC).
An HSE-led verification exercise determined that consultants are no longer delivering private services in public hospitals, as required by the 2023 Public-Only Consultants Contract. The matter gained attention after Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill confronted the board of the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin, warning of funding and indemnity repercussions if private work continued. Following the board’s concession, senior health officials, including Mairéad Ryan of the HSE’s national HR office, reported that previously identified non-compliant arrangements have been terminated and that all regional health authorities have provided assurances of compliance with clause 24.
The findings were supplied in response to a parliamentary query from Social Democrat health spokesman Pádraig Rice, who called for detailed oversight to prevent legacy practices from undermining the reform. The POCC, a cornerstone of the Sláintecare reforms, swapped higher salaries for consultants in exchange for ending fee-paying patient treatment in public facilities, creating a projected €145 million shortfall for hospitals, especially affecting maternity services.
Why it matters
It confirms that a key reform to eliminate private care in public hospitals is being enforced, affecting funding and patient options.
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