Ireland
Search

The Government that forms after the next election will face a range of issues affecting healthcare professionals and patients that will need action. In Ireland, we have represented our members for over 100 years and currently have over 16,000 doctors, dentists and healthcare professionals whom we support. Our experience means that we have a particular perspective on the reforms needed.

Progress in each of these areas would improve patient care; healthcare professionals who are happy, supported and experience proportionate, timely accountability for their actions find it much easier to be compassionate, provide safer care and continue doing the best for their patients.

We propose policy change and reforms to four areas:

Clinical negligence reform
Accountability
Wellbeing
Workforce

Clinical negligence reform

Ireland is an outlier when it comes to clinical negligence claims processes.

Our data shows that claims in Ireland take longer and involve higher legal costs than in every other country where Medical Protection support members.

The average claim takes four years (1,462 days) to conclude in Ireland, which is 56% longer than in the UK, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

The average legal cost for a claim in Ireland is €34,646, which is 191% more expensive than in the UK (€11,911).

There are very high costs; both financially, and personally on those involved in the process. 

We call on the Government to make a series of tort reforms to help mitigate the impact of the current, protracted processes as well as reduce legal costs. These suggestions are not new and have been made by many experts and reports previously, such as the The recent report from the Interdepartmental Working Group on the Rising Cost of Clinical Negligence. We would urge the next Government to progress these recommendations as a matter of urgency.

Medical Protection proposes:

  1. Urgent action to reduce legal costs and speed up processes - including the introduction of pre-action protocols, proactive court led case management and specialist clinical negligence court with specialist judges and procedural rules.

Accountability

Doctors expect to be accountable for the healthcare they provide, however they also have a right to expect that it is done in a way that is fair, proportionate, efficient, and sensitively handled. Sadly, we see first-hand when supporting doctors through various processes that this is not always the case.

We recently surveyed members who had been subject to a Medical Council of Ireland investigation. 93% report that the experience caused stress and anxiety and 73% said it impacted on their health and wellbeing. There must be improvements made around the timeliness of regulatory investigations; whilst the majority of the work lays at the door of the Medical Council, some actions are dependent on Government action to reform regulatory processes more widely.  

Medical Protection recommends that the government:

  1. Urgently commence the powers delegated to the Medical Council in the Regulated Professions Act 2020 – to allow them to triage and close cases not requiring further action more swiftly.
  2. Reform the Coroner service - standardise processes across Ireland, introduce pre-Inquest meetings and introduce a Chief Coroner.
  3. Implement high quality training for Expert Witnesses - to raise standards, so that experts are clear on the expectations of the role and their duty to the court. 
     

Wellbeing

Modern medicine allows doctors to do more to improve their patient’s lives than ever before, however mounting evidence shows that doctors feel stressed, burnt out and unable to cope in ever greater numbers.   

In a 2023 survey of MPS members in Ireland, two in five doctors said their mental health was worse now than it was during the pandemic. A similar amount (38%) were considering their future in healthcare due to mental health concerns. Worryingly, a third also told us that not being able to do the right thing for patients, or ‘moral injury’, was affecting their current mental health.

Of note, nearly three quarters (74%) of the doctors that responded to our survey about mental health felt as though the Government could do more to help doctors with mental health issues. 

There must be a shift to implement proactive, independent wellbeing support. 

Medical Protection recommends that the govenrment:

  1. Work with all appropriate stakeholders to develop a culture of physical and emotional wellbeing - so that doctors can provide remain safe and safely deliver healthcare to patients.
  2. Establish local, specialised, and independent wellbeing support – so that doctors know what support is available for their specific needs, before crisis, without fear of repercussions from regulators and employers.
  3. Implement counselling and wellbeing services as standard practice – embedding this as part of everyday work for doctors in Ireland.
  4. Protect healthcare professionals from physical and verbal aggression – working with public and private hospitals, the Garda and all appropriate healthcare bodies to reform systems for healthcare professionals to report and seek support for physical and verbal aggression against them.
     

Workforce

Supporting and developing the medical workforce is key to the delivery of timely and effective care to patients. 

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) reported that 83% of junior doctors routinely work more than 48 hours a week, with occasions where Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors (NCHDs) have worked on call on busy surgical and emergency departments for up to 100 hours.

The next Government must ensure that the medical workforce is properly resourced and sustainable for the future. This should include increasing both medical school places and hospital doctor posts, retaining those already in the workforce or about to enter it, and supporting those who come to the Ireland from overseas.

Medical Protection recommends that the government:

  1. Meet the workforce growth plan - as outlined by the National Taskforce on the NCHD Workforce to meet the growing demand for doctors.
  2. Retain existing staff and those trained in Irish Medical Schools – to ensure high-quality, home-trained medics are not leaving due to stress or burnout.
  3. Support overseas qualified professionals – ensure there are appropriate inductions when internationally trained healthcare professionals arrive, covering cultural as well as clinical differences.
     

Contact the Policy and Public Affairs team

If you have any questions about this campaign or anything else, the MPS policy and public affairs team is available to contact during usual office hours (8.30am – 5.30pm, Monday to Friday) using the details below.

Megan Bennett Policy & Public Affairs Manager
Email: [email protected]

Ceylan Simsek Policy & Public Affairs Officer
Email: [email protected]