Consultants will receive monthly data showing how their outpatient volumes compare with their peers, according to the HSE.
The HSE National Service Plan (NSP) 2025 indicated that a “standardised approach” would be developed to specify the optimal outpatient throughput of consultants.
In a section on productivity, the NSP outlined that consultants will receive monthly data showing how their outpatient volumes compare with peers in the same specialty.
Prof Matthew Sadlier, Chair of the IMO consultant committee, told the Medical Independent (MI) the union was “obviously not against… the concept of quality assurance and productivity analyses”. He said data collection was at the core of medicine. However, Prof Sadlier said the focus should be on the quality of service, rather than a “sheer demographic headcount”. The metrics should consider the specialty, the working environment, capacity, and other factors. A spokesperson for the IHCA told MI it agreed with the HSE “that a deeper level of productivity analysis, involving an assessment of actual capacity in place for the time periods analysed, may be required”.
“For example, it is accepted that infrastructural access or CNS [clinical nurse specialist] inputs may need to be factored into any analysis, given the impacts these can have on such metrics.”
The IHCA’s position is that no patient should be on a waiting list for more than six weeks. The Association stated that this objective is “realistic when looking at other EU countries”.
“To achieve this, the very obvious shortages of hospital beds, theatres, diagnostic, and other facilities across the country need to be addressed, together with filling the hundreds of consultant posts that are vacant or filled on a temporary basis.
“If the new Government provides the essential resources and capacity to treat our patients on time, consultants will deliver an effective and efficient health service for all. Consultants have and will continue to work with their clinical directors to achieve these shared goals.”
Without EHR electronic ordering of tests other than radiology and no electronic prescribing could the HSE get the productivity environment right first before arranging the doctor?