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Medical Council Fee Increase

12th June 2015
The IMO has called on members not to pay the increased Medical Council registration fee as it poses an unacceptable financial burden on individuals and in circumstances where the Medical Council has reported a surplus of €1.6m, the increase in fees is unwarranted. Doctors have suffered significant reductions in pay, combined with a range of additional compulsory levies, taxes and charges and cannot be expected at this time to face increases of this nature. 
ALL DOCTORS ARE ASKED TO TAKE PART IN THE CAMPAIGN 
The IMO is meeting with the Medical Council on Monday 15 June 2015 to discuss these issues and to advise them of the level of anger and frustration felt by the medical profession about the fee levels. The IMO are committed to this campaign on behalf of all its members and we ask that you join the protest and return to us by noon Monday 15th June an individual protest letter which can be found HERE. 
All doctors should be aware that non-payment does not mean automatic removal from the register. A copy of the process can be found HERE.
The IMO acknowledges that the Medical Council requires funding to undertake its work but our objection is the level of the increase.  So as to allow the IMO have discussions with the Medical Council in an effort to reach a solution we are asking all members not to make payment of the increased fees, stop any direct debit or standing order pending the outcome of discussions. The IMO is calling on those doctors who feel they must make the payment, for example, as a visa requirement, to register the form on line but to hold off on payment until the end of the month. 
It is disappointing that under the proposed Lansdowne Road Agreement on public service pay, nurses and other healthcare professionals would see the annual fees levied by their regulatory bodies frozen until 2018, but that this increase is still being imposed on doctors. The IMO met with the Department of Health and highlighted that doctors were being treated less favourably than other public service groups and this is not acceptable.
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD – SUBMIT YOUR PROTEST FORM TO IMO BY MONDAY 15th JUNE 
You are asked to make all of your colleagues aware of this campaign and to urge them to take the action. 

Stop the Medical Council Fee Increase - 9th June 2015

The IMO has arranged a meeting with the Medical Council on Monday 15 June 2015 to discuss the unacceptable rise in fees. To press the case to reduce the fee it is important to communicate the anger of doctors and to clearly demonstrate to the Medical Council the determination of doctors to resist this increase. The IMO is calling on all members who have joined the campaign to stop this increase to forward to the IMO a copy of – 1) their letter of protest  (samply letter can be seen here) and 2) the payment that was sent to the Medical Council. This will be used to demonstrate to the Medical Council the strength of feeling of doctors. It will not be given over at the meeting but is a powerful sign to show the level of protests at the increase. You are asked to email/post a copy of the above information to the IMO before noon on Monday 15 June 2015.
Meetings of members will be held in several hospitals across the country to encourage support for the campaign and collect forms. This issue will only be addressed with a strong show of solidarity among doctors. You are asked to support this campaign and encourage all your colleagues to join this protest now.

Reduced Paperwork on Job Changeover

Following persistent lobbying by the IMO confirmation has now been received from the HSE that the NDTP have developed a National Employment Record (NER) for NCHDs.  The NER has all relevant information required to take up employment in a HSE post.  This will deal with bank details, BLS, ACLS Certificates, Garda Vetting, Occupational Health Certification. The only outstanding document will be a P45, not a tax clearance certificate, which will be necessary each time you change payroll.

The system is planned to go live for interns in the July 2015 intake and to apply to all NCHDs by the end of 2015.  The letter  to the IMO detailing this change can be seen here. 

Career Break to Protect your Pension Benefit

If you plan to leave the HSE employment for more than 26 weeks you should make sure to apply for a career break as set out in this circular. This will protect your pension benefits if you started employment in the public health service before 1 January 2013. This is important as it is not possible to rectify this issue after you have left the employment of the HSE. 

Outstanding Payments, Overtime and Night Rate of Pay

If you have any claims outstanding to you for any overtime payment or Night Rate of Pay you should contact the IMO now to ensure the claim is paid. There is a six month time limit for submitting a claim under the Payment of Wages Act, so it is essential that members act on this issue as soon as they become aware that money is outstanding. Some hospitals have allowed claims to extend beyond six months making it very difficult to redress the issue. Act Now

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