Policy responses and statements

Name of organisation:

Department of Health, Social Services & Public Safety (DHSSPS)

Name of policy document:

Appointment of Consultants (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 - A Consultation with key stakeholders

Deadline for response:

23 November 2012

Background: Views were sought on the changes outlined in the attached consultation document to the Appointment of Consultants Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996.

The proposed draft Regulations focuses on the need for the appointment process to be amended to accommodate organisational change in the HSC and to update practices generally. In addition it will also make amendments to the requirements for Advisory Appointments Committees, who make decisions on the suitability of applicants for appointment, in line with changes introduced in Great Britain.

Introduction:

1. Since the Appointment of Consultants Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 (“the 1996 regulations”) were made, together with the supporting Good Practice Guidance, significant organisational changes have taken place across the Health and Social Care (HSC) sector. In particular there has been a sizable reduction in the number of HSC bodies – most notably with the introduction of the Health and Social Care (Reform) Act (Northern Ireland) 2009 (“the Reform Act”). This consultation focuses on the need for the appointment process to be amended to accommodate these organisational changes and to update practices generally.

2. The regulations provide the statutory basis for consultant appointments and their provision must be followed by employing bodies. They apply to the appointment of consultants in hospital medicine and dentistry, public health medicine and communicable disease control or health protection and dental public health. Consultant appointments, with certain specified exemptions, are made by employing bodies on the advice of an Advisory Appointments Committee (AAC), a legally constituted committee established by an employing body.

3. This consultation document outlines proposals which will bring the 1996 regulations into line with those in GB by:-

• References to ‘Board’ in the 1996 regulations is to be replaced by ‘Authority’ which means the Regional Health and Social Care Board, the Regional Agency for Public Health and Social Well-being (commonly known as the Public Health Agency) or a HSC Trust;

• Two new exemptions will be created in regulation 5 for appointments to which the regulations will not apply. The first new exemption applies to consultants moving from posts in the armed services to HSC posts without the location or the duties involved in their post altering in a significant way. The second exemption applies to consultants who retire then return to a similar post in the same body. Neither of these exemptions is a common occurrence in Northern Ireland;

• Regulation 6 will allow employers to have one advertisement in electronic format and will help reduce the cost of advertising;

• Schedule 1will be amended at sub-paragraphs (a), € and (f) and paragraph 5 to extend the number of persons who are suitable for appointment to an Advisory Appointments Committee (AAC) and two or more Authorities may appoint a single AAC;

• Schedule 2 will be amended to reflect the creation of the Regional Agency for Public Health and Social Well-being.

This response has been submitted on behalf of
the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK

Download Appointment of Consultants (Amendment) Regulations
(Northern Ireland) 2012
A Consultation with key stakeholders RESPONSE as a .pdf

Copies of this response are available from:

Lesley Lockhart,
Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh,
9 Queen Street,
Edinburgh,
EH2 1JQ.

Tel: 0131 225 7324 ext 608
Fax: 0131 220 3939

[13 November 2012]