Expressions Of Interest: Medical Adviser

Introduction - Overview of the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF)

The NTPF is a corporate body with functions and responsibilities as set out under Statutory Instrument 179 - National Treatment Purchase Fund (Establishment) Order, 2004 and the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act (2009).

Its key functions are:

• Arranging for the provision of hospital treatment to classes of persons determined by the Minister.
• Collecting, collating and validating information on persons waiting for public hospital treatment.
• Agreeing pricing arrangements with private & voluntary nursing homes under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme.
• Furnishing advice to the Minister for Health on related issues.
• Performing any other function assigned by the Minister for Health, since July 2012 this includes responsibility for the publication of outpatient waiting lists.

In carrying out its functions, the NTPF works closely with the Department of Health, the HSE, acute public hospitals and private nursing homes across the health system.

Patient Treatment Commissioning

The NTPF, through its Commissioning Team, works with hospitals to help public patients on public hospital waiting lists to access healthcare faster. This is done by sourcing treatments in the public and private healthcare systems. These treatments are arranged in 20 private hospitals and 39 public hospitals throughout the island of Ireland.

Patient treatments are arranged in conjunction with the patient’s public hospital. The Commissioning Team arranges treatments for patients on the public hospital outpatient waiting lists through the provision of full packages of care and for patients on the public hospital inpatient day case waiting list through a list of procedures.

The Commissioning Team is comprised of healthcare and procurement experts from both administrative and clinical backgrounds. The Commissioning Team works collaboratively with the HSE and the Department of Health to maximise sustainable levels of additional patient treatments throughout the year.

In 2025, the NTPF arranged c. 198,000 healthcare services for public patients, including c. 35,000 surgeries and procedures and c. 163,000 outpatient consultations and diagnostics.

Information regarding the NTPF Patient Care Committee

The Board of the NTPF has established a Patient Care Committee (PCC) to assist and advise the Board by providing oversight and challenge in relation to the quality, safety and risk management of patient care delivered through NTPF commissioned services.

The PCC focuses primarily on the NTPF’s commissioning activities, where the organisation arranges hospital treatment for public patients and must ensure that appropriate standards of safety and clinical quality are maintained.

The Committee comprises:

• four members of the NTPF Board

• a Patient Advocate

Meetings of the PCC are attended by members of the NTPF Executive and the Medical Adviser, who provide relevant information and clinical input to support the work of the Committee.

The Committee seeks to promote high standards of patient care and to support continuous improvement in the quality and safety of services delivered through NTPF commissioning arrangements.

Expression of Interest and Eligibility

The NTPF Patient Care Committee is seeking to appoint a Medical Adviser to provide clinical advice and professional judgement to support the NTPF in the safe and effective commissioning of hospital services.

The role involves working with the NTPF Commissioning Team and contributing clinical expertise to the organisation’s governance processes.

The Medical Adviser will work alongside the Chief Executive, Patient Care Committee and reports directly to the Commissioning Director.

Main Duties and Responsibilities of the Medical Adviser

The Medical Adviser provides independent clinical judgement to support the NTPF in assuring the safety and quality of care delivered to public patients treated through NTPF commissioned services. Each year the NTPF arranges a large volume of hospital treatments across public and private hospitals throughout Ireland.

The role involves participation in hospital assurance visits, review of patient safety incidents and clinical outliers, and providing clinical advice to the Director of Commissioning and the Patient Care Committee of the Board on matters relating to clinical quality and risk.

Key responsibilities include the following:

Clinical Advice on Commissioned Services

Provide clinical advice to the NTPF Commissioning Team in relation to the delivery of care within hospitals providing treatment under NTPF commissioning arrangements.

This may include advising on:

• the clinical capability of hospitals to provide specific procedures
• clinical governance arrangements within treating hospitals
• patient safety considerations relevant to commissioned services
• clinical issues arising in the course of commissioning activities

Participation in Hospital Assurance Visits

Participate in visits to hospitals providing treatment to NTPF patients as part of the organisation’s risk assurance framework.

During these visits the Medical Adviser will provide clinical input in relation to:

• clinical governance arrangements
• patient safety systems
• clinical capability to deliver relevant procedures
• compliance with the clinical requirements set out in NTPF agreements with treating hospitals

Review of Patient Safety Incidents and Clinical Outliers

Provide clinical input into the review of patient safety incidents, adverse events and clinical outliers reported in relation to patients treated through NTPF commissioning arrangements.

This includes advising on the clinical significance of reported events and contributing to the assessment of whether further review or escalation may be required.

Advice to the NTPF Executive and Patient Care Committee

Provide clinical advice to the Director of Commissioning and the Patient Care Committee of the Board on matters relating to:

• patient safety
• clinical quality
• risk management in commissioned care

Where appropriate, the Medical Adviser may contribute to discussions relating to patient safety incidents or clinical concerns arising within commissioned services.

Term of Appointment to the Panel

Successful applicants shall be appointed via secondment for an initial period of 12 months, with the option to be extended for a further 24 months.

Time Commitment

The role is expected to require approximately 18 – 24 days per annum.

This will include participation in hospital assurance visits carried out as part of the NTPF’s risk assurance framework, review of relevant clinical documentation where required, and engagement with the NTPF Commissioning Team.

The Medical Adviser will also attend meetings of the Patient Care Committee (PCC) of the NTPF Board. The PCC meets five times per year, with an additional joint meeting with the Audit and Risk Committee typically scheduled annually.

Travel to healthcare facilities across the island of Ireland will be required.

Fees

It is intended to fill this post in the first instance by secondment. The successful applicant will continue to be paid by his/her employer with the employer recouping the relevant costs from the NTPF by way of invoice.