Sinéad Loftus | Senior Staff Writer
A number of non-consultant hospital doctors who had applied for the four-year graduate training scheme of the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) have had their offers rescinded owing to an administrative error.
Last Thursday, applicants received an email from the ICGP informing them that an “error in collating the points from the interview process” had resulted in an incorrect ranking of applicants. As such, some graduates who were offered places on the scheme six weeks ago received an email informing them that a number of previously offered places on the scheme were to be withdrawn.
While 120 such applications have been unaffected by the error, eleven applicants were informed that they received the wrong offer and should have been offered a higher place. Five applicants who had accepted an offer to train on the scheme discovered that their offers were to be withdrawn.
One doctor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told The University Times that the decision to offer her a higher place was “disastrous” to her, as she has already paid a deposit on accommodation in the original location. Another affected doctor, who received notice that his offer was to be withdrawn entirely, commented that the move was “devastating” and could leave his “entire career in danger”.
The issue was brought to light when originally successful applicant, Antonia Courtney, posted on a non-consultant hospital doctor group Facebook page, which is aimed at non-consultant doctors opposed to hospital working conditions run by the Health Services Executive, stating that she received an email on Thursday evening with an attachment that informed her that her offer had been rescinded.
Another applicant who had originally been unsuccessful received an email stating that she was now being offered a place on the course. Some applicants complained that this left them in “in limbo” as many who had made decisions to move to various points across the country in order to take up an offer were now finding that said offer had changed or had been revoked. One commenter stated that the delay between the original offers and last Thursday’s email had been significant enough for applicants to turn down other jobs or placements.
Neither the Irish Medical Organisation nor the HSE responded to a request for comment from The University Times. However, doctors who inquired as to their positions on the scheme have been informed by the IMO that they would represent on the behalf of any member who was left without a position owing to this error. It is however The University Times’s understanding, according to reports from doctors who contacted the HSE directly, that the executive is examining the possibility of funding five additional places on the programme in order to address the issue.
Correction: April 7, 2015
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated, in two sentences, that those affected were “students”. Those affected by this error were in fact non-consultant hospital doctors, who are fully qualified medical graduates who have undergone additional training, such as an internship, and may have additional postgraduate experience, in preparation for application to speciality training schemes.
