Rotunda to provide HSE with private work audit by today

The Rotunda Hospital must submit an audit to the Health Service Executive (HSE) by Monday, June 8, 2026, detailing all private work undertaken by consultants who are on public-only contracts. This directive comes from Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, who has been scrutinizing the practice following revelations at an Oireachtas Health Committee hearing last week.

During the hearing, the Master of the Rotunda, Professor Sean Daly, confirmed that the practice was ongoing despite a previous directive for it to cease. The introduction of "public-only consultant contracts" in March 2023, as part of the Sláintecare initiative, aimed to prevent private work in public hospitals. Approximately 70% of consultants have signed these new contracts, which stipulated a transition period ending last year for consultants to cease private practice in public facilities.

“

Any row or standoff in my view on contracts is unseemly it's in nobody's interest. It’s not in the interest of the hospital and it’s certainly not in the interests of women whether they are public or private patients availing of services in any hospital.

Minister Carroll MacNeill has expressed concern over the situation, suggesting that women who paid for private services in public hospitals should receive recompense. She emphasized that the Rotunda Hospital does not have permission to allow consultants on public-only contracts to continue private work. The absence of private maternity hospitals in Ireland means such private obstetric care is currently provided within public hospitals, with 32 consultants offering maternity care at the Rotunda, 14 of whom are on public-only contracts.

Sinn Féin's health spokesperson, David Cullinane, described the ongoing dispute between the Minister and the hospital management as "unseemly." While expressing confidence in the Master of the Rotunda, Cullinane called for a meeting between the parties to resolve the standoff. He stated that his party supports public-only contracts and public healthcare but acknowledged the need for some flexibility during contract negotiations. However, he stressed that well-paid consultants on these contracts must be held to their commitment to public work.

“

She also suggested that women who had paid for the service should be recompensed.