National NCHD Meeting

 

Saturday 26th April 10am – 11am

 

Medical Council

 

1. This meeting calls on the HSE and the Medical Council to facilitate the option of payment of Medical Council Registration fees via direct debit on a monthly basis, alongside the once off yearly payment option. This is to recognise the significant expense incurred by NCHDs, particularly around July changeover.

Proposer: IMO NCHD Committee

Carried as amended

Amendment

This meeting calls on the HSE and the Medical Council to facilitate the option of payment of Medical Council Registration fees via direct debit on a monthly basis at no increased cost, alongside the once off yearly payment option. This is to recognise the significant expense incurred by NCHDs, particularly around July changeover.

 

Safe Staffing

 

2. The IMO calls on the HSE to conduct a review on what constitutes 'safe staffing levels' for NCHDs, particularly in the setting of planned capacity expansion and in light of increased multi-morbidity and care complexities.

 

Proposer: IMO NCHD Committee

Carried as amended

Amendment

The IMO calls on the HSE to conduct a key stakeholder review on what constitutes 'safe staffing levels' for NCHDs, particularly in the setting of planned capacity expansion and in light of increased multi-morbidity and care complexities.

 

3. The IMO calls on the HSE to acknowledge that the Verifications and Sanctions process to monitor and improve NCHD working hours requires immediate review so as to ensure measures are robust and sanctions apply to non compliant sites both in terms of supplying accurate and timely data on NCHD working hours and details on how non compliance is to be addressed.

 

Proposer: IMO NCHD Committee

Status: Carried

 

4. The IMO calls on the HSE and the Department of Health to acknowledge that, as an employer, they are breaching their legal obligations under the Organisation of Working Time Act whereby NCHDs should be working no more than 48 hours per week on average over a three month reference period.

 

Proposer: IMO NCHD Committee

Status: Carried

 

5. In circumstances where the HSE had identified an additional 800 NCHDs are required to enable the HSE to meet its legal obligations on working hours, the IMO calls on the HSE to amend the Pay and Numbers Strategy so as to enable sites which are non compliant to recruit the additional NCHDs required to ensure rosters are compliant.

 

Proposer: IMO NCHD Committee

Carried as amended

Amendment

In circumstances where the HSE is failing to meet its legal obligations on working hours, the IMO calls on the HSE to amend the Pay and Numbers Strategy so as to enable sites which are non compliant to recruit the additional NCHDs required to ensure rosters are compliant.

 

Supporting Pregnant NCHDs

 

6. The IMO calls on the HSE to acknowledge how it supports and protects pregnant NCHDs, and those taking maternity leave. Specifically, issues around training, safe working conditions, night work and the supports for returning to work need to be considered. This needs to be done in conjunction with appropriate workforce planning to ensure that staffing is appropriate to take into account foreseeable absences.

Proposer: IMO NCHD Committee

Status: Carried as amended

AmendmentThe IMO calls on the HSE to review how it supports and protects pregnant NCHDs, and those taking maternity leave. There is a requirement to establish guidelines in conjunction with expert groups such as NWHP to address issues around training, safe working conditions, night work and the supports for returning to work need to be considered. This needs to be done in conjunction with appropriate workforce planning to ensure that staffing is appropriate to take into account foreseeable absences.

 

Training and Examination Issues

 

7. In light of the marking scheme issues which have occurred with the MRCP exam in the UK, this meeting calls on the Irish Postgraduate Training Colleges to review their own practices and procedures to ensure no such issue will occur for those sitting exams here and provide reassurance to those who have sat exams in recent years and are currently sitting exams that they can rely on the results provided. This meeting would further call on those bodies to enhance feedback and increase transparency on membership exam grading, to aid in preparation for repeat sittings of examinations.

 

Proposer: IMO NCHD Committee

Status: Carried

 

8. This meeting calls on the HSE and the training bodies to engage to allow every trainee to be provided with certainty as to rotations for at least the next 3 years and for this to be able to take account of maternity leave or sick leave.

Proposer: IMO NCHD Committee

Status: Carried

Payroll

9. The IMO call on the HSE and the Department of Health to publish the report commissioned by the HSE on the introduction of a centralised pay system for NCHDs. We further call on the HSE to guarantee that NCHD payments will not be delayed and that the introduction of new local payroll systems will not lead to NCHD payments for regular salary or overtime being delayed.

Proposer: IMO NCHD Committee

Status: Carried

Hospital IT systems

 

10. The meeting calls on the HSE to undertake a review at hospital level of the number of systems that NCHDs are required to use and the number of separate logins required to identify ways to simplify these processes and reduce the time lost and complexity involved on a daily basis.

Proposer: IMO NCHD Committee

Status: Carried as amended

Amendment

The meeting calls on the HSE to implement a national IT system and on the HSE to undertake a review at hospital level of the number of systems that NCHDs are required to use and the number of separate logins required to identify ways to simplify these processes and reduce the time lost and complexity involved on a daily basis.