3886. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health following an internal review which found that the rostering of consultants on evenings and Saturdays remained low, if this matter has been remedied (details supplied); the steps taken to address this low level of evening and Saturday rostering; if she is satisfied that improvements have been made; if she can provide such data; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58088/26]

The Public Only Consultant Contract (POCC) allows for consultants to be rostered from 8am-10pm Monday to Friday and 8am-6pm on Saturdays. Current HSE rostering figures show that only 37% of consultants are rostered for evening working and only 11% for Saturday working. That is too low and it must improve.

The Minister does not expect every consultant to work every Saturday, this is about evenly distributing our resources, increasing senior decision maker presence across the week and moving towards a full six-day service in our hospitals. Last year an agreement was reached on a Framework for extending working hours for all staff with all trade unions, which paves the way for broader implementation of extended services.

The six Regional Clinical Directors met with the Cabinet Committee on Health in July to inform them of their plans to improve evening and weekend rostering. Staff numbers within the HSE have grown by approximately 30% since the end of 2019. This investment shows the government is committed to putting the resources in place to facilitate extended hours across the health service.

The HSE Chief Clinical Officer has written to clinical directors requiring a review of all current rosters to ensure extended hours and Saturday working are scheduled and staffed in line with clinical service need. 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.