395. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Health the way in which she will ensure more senior staff are rostered in emergency departments during weekends and public holidays for better decision-making; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48083/26]

The Minister for Health is fully committed to the implementation and enforcement of the Public Only Consultant Contract so that its full benefits are realised for patients and the wider health system. There has already been strong national uptake of the contract, with 3,483 consultants signed up as of 26 June 2026, including 1,266 new entrants and 2,217 consultants who have switched from older contracts.

While the uptake of POCC has been strong, the focus is now on optimising the benefit for the contract and ensuring the level of activity in the evenings and weekends continues to improve. Strong uptake and increased staffing alone are not enough. The contract must also deliver stronger consultant presence on site, including in the evenings and at weekends, so that patients see the benefit in practice.

The POCC allows for consultants to be rostered from 8am-10pm Monday to Friday and 8am-6pm on Saturdays. Around one-third of consultants are now rostered for extended working day arrangements and 11% for Saturday working. These figures are improving, but remain too low and vary significantly by region.

The HSE Chief Clinical Officer has written to clinical directors requiring a review of current rosters to ensure extended hours and Saturday working are scheduled and staffed in line with clinical service need. This follows previous direction from the HSE CEO on implementation of the contract. The HSE has governance and programme structures in place to strengthen oversight, reporting and accountability, and that work now needs to translate into more consistent extended-day and weekend rostering across the system.

The Government’s objective is clear: the Public Only Consultant Contract must mean more timely care, more senior decision makers on site, better access to services outside traditional hours, and fuller delivery for public patients.