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Trainee Doctor Review Published

The Minister for Health, Dr James Reilly TD, has launched the final report of the Strategic Review Working Group chaired by Professor Brian MacCraith (President, DCU)

This final report focuses on issues relating to strategic medical workforce planning and career planning and mentoring supports for trainee doctors and makes recommendations. It also addresses specific issues in relation to the specialties of public health medicine, general practice and the community-based aspects of psychiatry.

Welcoming the report, the Minister noted the Group’s work regarding strategic medical workforce planning,

“For too long, we have struggled with forward planning of medical specialist posts in the public health system,” he said, “I would like to thank the Working Group for highlighting the historical deficiencies in our medical workforce planning and the steps that are now being taken to address them, notably HSE-MET’s Medical Workforce Planning Project”.

Commending Professor MacCraith and the members of the Working Group for including an update in the final report on progress in advancing the Group’s previous recommendations, the Minister emphasised the importance of ensuring that all the Group’s recommendations are implemented in order to build a sustainable medical workforce for the future,

“Professor MacCraith and the Working Group have helpfully set out a number of recommendations about how we should move forward, in order to ensure that the recommendations are embedded in the day-to-day business practice of the health system. My Department and the HSE will now work together to put the necessary arrangements in place in order to drive and oversee implementation of all the recommendations of the Strategic Review and assess their impact into the future”.

Concluding, Minister Reilly expressed his sincere appreciation to Professor MacCraith and the members of the Working Group for their time, expertise and commitment throughout the Review process. The Minister also thanked all those who engaged with the Working Group during the process and, in particular, the trainee doctors with whom the Group had met.

The Minister established the Working Group in 2013. It was tasked with examining and making high-level recommendations relating to training and career pathways for doctors with a view to:

  • Improving graduate retention in the public health system;
  • Planning for future service needs;
  • Realising maximum benefit from investment in medical education and training.

Click here for the terms of reference.

 

In all, the Group has submitted three reports: December 2013, April 2014 and June 2014. In total, across these reports, the Group has made 25 recommendations (see below for all recommendations) and prepared three high-level implementation plans, which address a range of challenges and issues relating to the recruitment and retention of doctors in the Irish public health system. In its final report, the Group also recommends the following in relation to implementation of Review recommendations:

  • As a matter of priority, the Department of Health and HSE should jointly agree and put in place appropriate multi-stakeholder arrangements to oversee continued implementation of the recommendations of the Review;
  • NCHD and Consultant retention rates in the public health system should be reported on a quarterly basis through the Health Service Performance Assurance Report;
  • Six monthly implementation reports should be submitted to the Minister for Health, and subsequently published.

Membership of the Working Group:

  • Professor Brian MacCraith, President, DCU (Chair);
  • Ms Oonagh Buckley, Assistant Secretary, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform;
  • Dr Áine Carroll, Director of Clinical Programmes, HSE;
  • Dr Philip Crowley, Director, Quality and Patient Safety, HSE,
  • Mr Eunan Friel, Secretary, Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies;
  • Dr Colm Henry, National Lead, Clinical Director Programme, HSE;
  • Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health;
  • Mr Leo Kearns, National Lead for Transformation and Change, System Reform Group, HSE;
  • Professor Eilis McGovern, National Programme Director for Medical Education, Medical Education and Training Unit, HSE;
  • Mr Barry O’Brien, National Director, Human Resources, HSE;
  • Dr Siobhan O’Halloran, Chief Nursing Officer, Department of Health;
  • Ms Caroline Spillane, Chief Executive Officer, Medical Council;
  • Ms Frances Spillane, Assistant Secretary, Department of Health;
  • Dr Barry White, Consultant Haematologist, St James’s Hospital.