One of the main hospitals in the west of Ireland faced potentially having to close significant parts of its acute services, including maternity admissions, in December because a number of doctors said they would not work on lower pay rates introduced by the Health Service Executive.

The Saolta healthcare group, which runs public hospital services in the west, said a number of its agency registrars working at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe indicated that they would not work on the salary scale or contract basis proposed by the HSE.

It is understood the non-consultant doctors concerned were among those who provided anaesthesia services at the hospital.

The healthcare group said that, ultimately, the dispute was resolved and the doctors concerned accepted the agreed agency framework rates.

However, it is understood that for a time it was feared that if the locum doctors had pulled out, Portiuncula Hospital would not have been in a position to maintain acute medical, surgical or paediatric admissions.

It is understood that, in such circumstances, maternity admissions at the hospital would have had to be channelled to other hospitals.

Portiuncula, like a number of other hospitals outside the main urban areas, relies heavily on locum medical staff, often provided through agencies, to maintain services for the public.

Reduced activity

The healthcare group said if the agency doctors had withdrawn from working at the hospital it “would have impacted on the elective work on the site and would have resulted in reduced activity”.

Last November, the HSE issued a directive telling public hospitals around the country that all staff provided through agencies could only be paid at official agency contract rates.

It also said that from November 3rd and taking full effect from January 1st, 2015, no individual doctor could be employed on an agency/hourly rate of pay for a period of more than two months and at that point would have to either leave or agree to work on a fixed purpose contract basis, which would be offered to them.

The HSE said its official rates under its national agency contract stipulated that medical registrars should be paid €50 per hour for daytime work, €60 for a weeknight and €65 for weekends and public holidays.

It is understood the agency doctors at Portiuncula had previously been receiving higher rates of pay.

Framework rates

The healthcare group said that payments to agency staff were in keeping with the framework rates set out by the HSE.

However, it indicated that it has not been in a position to implement in full the new rules setting out that agency staff would have to be placed on contracts after two months.

“There are a number of high-risk areas where this will not be immediately implemented,” it said in a statement.

Portiuncula Hospital provides medical, surgical, maternity and paediatric services and has a catchment area of east Galway, Roscommon and parts of Westmeath.