Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 January 2026
534. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health the steps her Department is taking to ensure continuity of care for women who have had difficult or traumatic previous pregnancies in light of recent changes made to consultant contracts as part of Sláintecare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3048/26]
View answerThe Government introduced the Public Only Consultant Contract (POCC) on the 8th of March 2023.
This Contract is a key step in the move towards universal, single-tier healthcare with public hospitals exclusively used for the treatment of public patients, as envisaged in the Sláintecare Report.
The Department of Health continues to implement the POCC in line with the Slaintecare vision. All consultants who switch to a POCC, regardless of specialty, are not permitted to conduct private practice in public hospitals beyond the conclusion of transitional arrangements stated within the terms of their contract. The HSE issued notice to all hospitals confirming this position in December 2025.
However, private maternity care is and will remain available in public hospitals beyond 31st of December 2025 via consultants who continue to work on older contracts. There is no requirement for these consultants to switch to a POCC and their contractual arrangements provide for private practice in public hospitals up to retirement. The last of these contracts were issued prior to March 2023.
The POCC is a key step in delivering universal healthcare, ensuring public hospitals are used for public patients and care is based on medical need, not on the ability to pay. The contract is already improving health services being provided to patients, with increased senior decision maker presence at weekends contributing to higher weekend discharge rates and better patient flow.
Over time as more consultants are recruited to or switch to the new contract, the level of private activity in the public system will decline. The transition applies to all private care, including maternity. This will occur gradually over time and therefore, the immediate impact on private maternity care will be minimal, reflecting the fact that most serving consultants who specialise in obstetrics and gynaecology hold contracts that allow them to engage in on-site private practice.
While maternity care is not currently available in private hospitals, all consultants who hold the contract, including those who specialise in obstetrics and gynaecology, will be entitled to treat private patients off-site in their own time, subject to the primacy of their public contract and meeting their commitments under it.
Since the launch of the National Maternity Strategy in 2016, significant progress has been made in the development and improvement of public maternity services. Since 2016, €28 million has been invested in new development funding through the National Maternity Strategy, transforming our maternity services for women, infants and families. This investment is improving the infrastructure of our maternity services by providing additional home-from-home birthing suites, upgrades to theatres and wards, as well as additional training and supports for our maternity staff. Women across the country now have access to a standardised Model of Care, with enhanced access to midwife-led care supported by Directors of Midwifery in every unit and hospital. All women on the Specialised Care Pathway (women who are at higher levels of risk) receive multidisciplinary care led by a named consultant in the public system.
This Government will continue to listen to women and drive improvements across maternity services, building on the significant progress and investment to date driven through the National Maternity Strategy.
