Rotunda Hospital Faces Funding Threat Over Private Practice Amid POCC Rollout

The Public Only Consultant Contract (POCC), introduced in March 2023, aims to phase out private practice in public hospitals, aligning with universal healthcare policy. Over 67% of consultants have signed the POCC, which mandates private work be performed off-site and in their own time. The transition deadline for consultants who signed before December 2023 was the end of last year.

Specialists warn that this will lead to the gradual disappearance of private maternity care in Ireland, where currently one in four women choose private maternity services. Ireland lacks standalone private maternity hospitals since Mount Carmel closed in 2014.

The Rotunda Hospital in Dublin, Ireland's largest maternity hospital, is under scrutiny for allegedly allowing 14 of its 32 POCC-signed consultants to continue private practice on-site. Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has demanded confirmation that this practice has ceased and suggested recompensing women who paid for such services. The Rotunda's actions contradict the POCC requirements and have put it at odds with the Department of Health and the HSE.

In March, Minister MacNeill personally informed Rotunda Master Professor Seán Daly that POCC consultants should not treat private patients in the hospital. The Rotunda Board met to discuss its September 2024 decision to allow private practice for POCC holders and has since written to the Minister seeking a meeting to explain its rationale and find a resolution. The hospital, which receives 90% of its funding from the HSE, faces potential funding threats if the practice continues. The HSE has requested details on consultants performing private care, the number of private deliveries, and associated income, with a response due by June 8. The Rotunda maintains it has been POCC compliant since 2023, prioritizing safe care for all patients.