IHCA expresses deep frustration at ‘lack of engagement’ from Minister

The Minister for Health’s failure to meet with the IHCA for more than 18 months has “impeded” the Association’s ability to represent the views of patients and doctors to healthcare decision-makers, the Association’s President has told this newspaper.

Speaking following her Presidential address at the IHCA Annual Conference in Mount Juliet Estate, Kilkenny, on Saturday 17 October, Prof Gabrielle Colleran told the Medical Independent (MI) that she values a “collaborative approach” with politicians and health service officials.

“Because I know that’s what has delivered and that’s why we have continued to issue invite after invite after invite,” Prof Colleran told MI.

“But at this point, we just felt it would be dishonest not to say the position we find ourselves in.”

On the day of the meeting, the IHCA expressed its “deep concern” over a “damaging closed down approach” taken by Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, which it said has prevented any engagement with the Association since early 2025.

Frustration

During her address, Prof Colleran outlined her clear frustration with the Minister’s lack of engagement with the Association.

She pointed out the only meeting between the IHCA and Minister Carroll MacNeill took place in March 2025.

“We went into that meeting with open minds and a core objective – to establish a constructive working relationship with the Minister and her Department,” Prof Colleran told the attendees.

“We came away deeply disappointed that the collaborative approach we offered the Minister was not accepted or shared.”

We came away deeply disappointed that the collaborative approach we offered the Minister was not accepted or shared

She added that the Minister had been invited to address the IHCA Annual Conference in 2025, its FutureCare conference in February 2026, and to attend the opening of the Association’s new offices.

“Importantly, we have also written to her on numerous occasions seeking meetings to discuss such pressing issues as improving patient flow, addressing waiting lists, and the principles for an extended working week,” she added.

“These invitations have either been declined or gone unanswered. And once again, today, the Minister is not here.”

She added that HSE CEO Ms Anne O’Connor was due to speak at the Annual Conference, but had to cancel.

HSE Deputy CEO Mr Damien McCallion and former Department of Health Secretary General Mr Robert Watt had also accepted invitations to attend IHCA events this year, only to withdraw their attendance.

Referencing recent comments by the Minister regarding a legal action taken by two consultants over access to the new surgical hubs, Prof Colleran said the IHCA was not a party to the case. She added that the IHCA supported the establishment of these surgical hubs, as well as the “long promised” elective hospitals.

She concluded by saying that her message was “simple”.

“The IHCA is ready to engage. We have been ready and we remain ready.” The speech received a standing ovation from IHCA attendees.

Later, speaking to MI, Prof Colleran said “capacity” would be the opening item on the agenda if the IHCA is given the opportunity to meet the Minister.

“We would have to talk about capacity first. We passed 1 million on waiting lists for the first time this year and we know we have issues regarding recruitment and retention [of consultants],” she said.

Referencing statistics presented to the conference by Dr Niamh Humphries (PhD), Senior Lecturer and Head of Research, RCSI Graduate School of Healthcare Management, on the significant number of Irish-trained doctors working abroad, Prof Colleran said: “That really impacts our ability to provide care.”

“We would be looking to see how we can work with [the Minister] to make the Irish healthcare system the employer of choice and that we retain our talent,” she added.

“And then, we could look at each specialty and each area where there is unmet need and how we can best use the resources we have to provide as much care as possible.”

Prof Colleran also said it was important to address deficits in capacity in relation to digital infrastructure, and “the duplication and waste that happens” because of the lack of a national electronic health record.

In addition, she added that the IHCA wishes to discuss weekend rosters with the Minister.

“We want to ensure that the Saturday weekend working is done right,” she said, emphasising the importance of nursing and administrative staff being available at weekends, as well as the wider multidisciplinary teams.

Department response

After the conference, MI asked the Department of Health for a response to Prof Colleran’s comments regarding the Minister.

The Department spokesperson said the Minister has regular engagements “with the trade union that represents doctors, the Irish Medical Organisation”, as well as with all other trade unions representing healthcare workers.

“She engages with consultants on a regular basis at conferences, meetings, and when she visits health services around the country, including most recently at the Irish Cardiac Society Annual Scientific Meeting on Friday 16 October,” added the spokesperson.

The Minister would be “greatly appreciative” of any and all support for the provision of public-only services in surgical hubs, they added.

“The Minister is unable to attend the [IHCA] conference on this occasion owing to existing diary commitments; however, she is grateful for the invitation and wishes the IHCA every success with the event.”

The spokesperson said that the Secretary General of the Department met the IHCA on 17 September to discuss the implementation of the public-only consultant contract, extended day, and Saturday services.

Discussion also centred on “the shared challenges the increased demand and demographic pressures present for our health services and the measures being taken to respond to them”.

Further engagements will happen in the coming weeks, the spokesperson concluded.

Also speaking to MI in Kilkenny, IHCA CEO Mr Jim Daly said the Minister “had been very animated” on issues around consultants and their “work practices, workplaces, rostering at the weekend, and all of that”.

He said that if the IHCA could have a meeting with the Minister it would raise issues “around the waiting lists and how to modernise the system from a clinical perspective”.

This would include the better utilisation of artificial intelligence and the further roll-out of existing initiatives that have demonstrated value.

Mr Daly noted the HSE SPARK programme, for example, “is funding lots and lots of initiatives that are superb”.

‘Bizarre’

“So, we would love to be just engaging with the Minister as the lead policy-setter for the health service. It is bizarre that we cannot do that.”

Asked by MI why the IHCA had decided now was the time to be so publicly critical of the Minister’s engagement, Mr Daly said “there comes a time where you have to call it out”.

“We can’t stress enough [that] we have phenomenal relationships with senior people in the Department of Health, with very senior people in the HSE,” he said, adding that this includes the Department’s Secretary General and HSE CEO.

“We work with everybody and they will all comment that we are very collaborative.”

However, he said there was an obvious “lacuna” in the relationship with healthcare officials. “For whatever reason, the Minister has decided that we are blacklisted,” the Association CEO told this newspaper.

“That is just unusual. So, we put it out there and called it for what it is. We will move on. We are going to go back tomorrow to do what we do and that is providing care for patients.

“The IHCA has come on a journey, we really are outward looking. We want to collaborate and work more closely in the interest of patients. And it is frustrating when we can’t do that because of one individual’s particular view of the world.”