HSE South West ‘confident’ private activity has ceased

HSE South West is “confident” that holders of the public-only consultant contract (POCC) have ceased private activity in public hospitals, a spokesperson has said.

Implementation of the POCC in HSE South West was discussed at a recent meeting of the health budget oversight group (HBOG).

Officials from the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform, and Digitalisation (DPER) queried whether the HSE was “confident that private activity has stopped in public hospitals [in the region]”, according to minutes of the 18 March meeting.

The HSE responded that the terms of the POCC were enforced and that a recent townhall was held with senior figures in HSE South West “to discuss complex cases in this regard”.

These discussions arose in the context of a HSE presentation to the HBOG on the region’s expendi- ture position, which highlighted challenges such as growth in patient demand.

“The HSE commented that in the South West region there is a good uptake of the POCC and that some con- sultants respond well to the POCC regulations whilst others may not,” stated meeting minutes.

“It is preferable for consultants to voluntarily com- ply with the terms of their contract, however, if that is not happening then rosters will be enforced.”

DPER officials questioned whether consultants leave their positions following enforced rostering in line with the POCC. The HSE responded that this did not happen.

A HSE South West spokesperson told the Medical Independent (MI) that any challenges with POCC implementation “are similar” to those experienced in other health regions.

“Consultants in HSE South West are now widely un- dertaking scheduled weekend onsite commitments. Clinics are also operating extended hours. The focus for teams across the region now is the opportunity to run additional Saturday clinics and procedural activity,” the spokesperson added.

A national HSE spokesperson told MI that the POCC represents a “significant” Government investment. There is “a requirement” to demonstrate how that in- vestment is impacting service delivery within the HSE. The spokesperson said POCC implementation and re- porting are a “top priority” and noted the recent estab- lishment of the POCC performance action group.

Nationally, a verification exercise is ongoing with regard to the phasing out of private practice in public settings.

It is anticipated that this exercise will conclude in the “near future”.

At a HSE performance committee meeting in May, Chief People Officer Ms Anne Marie Hoey noted chal- lenges relating to the consistency of POCC implemen- tation across regions.