David Cullinane
Ceist:718. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the key performance indicators which she tracks for the monitoring of private practice in public hospitals. [47083/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 23 June 2026
Ceisteanna (718)
Freagraí scríofa
To ensure accountability, transparency, and the effective delivery of care, based on medical need and not ability to pay, the HSE monitors performance across more than 170 operational Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Many of these KPIs are outlined in the National Service Plan for 2026.
With the conclusion of the enhanced transition period for consultants who switched to the Public Only Consultant Contract (POCC) in December 2025, all but 20 consultants who recently switched are prohibited from engaging in private practice in public hospitals. The increased availability of more than 2,000 senior clinicians provides greater flexibility to deliver extended services in the evenings and weekends.
Current rostering figures show that only 37% of consultants are rostered for evening working and only 11% for Saturday working. That is too low and it must improve. The Government’s objective is clear: the Public Only Consultant Contract must mean more timely care, more senior decision makers on site, better access to services outside traditional hours, and fuller delivery for public patients.
To that end, last year an agreement was reached on a Framework for extending working hours for appropriate staff with all trade unions, which paves the way for broader implementation of extended services. This agreement allows the POCC to move from paper into practice, giving hospitals the basis to roster both consultants and support staff on extended days, evening and weekends in a structured way.
The HSE has governance and programme structures in place to strengthen oversight, reporting and accountability, and that work now needs to translate into more consistent extended-day and weekend rostering across the system.