Future of academic medicine in Ireland: no change is not an option

There has been much concern internationally in recent years on the direction and future of academic medicine. Furthermore, there is uncertainty for medical consultants over academic contracts in Ireland, given recent changes in the health service and the slow pace of negotiations on a new contract. Reports from North America indicate that academics often spend more time in training but do not necessarily have more protected time for academic activities than their non-academic counterparts. In the U.K., so-called reforms of postgraduate training together with the research assessment exercise have driven a wedge between medical academia and service delivery. In Ireland, the Fottrell and Buttimer Reports on medical education and training together with the Forfás Report on science, technology and innovation in the health service, provide a road map for the future in Ireland. While there have been some encouraging signs of progress recently, considerably more work needs to be done with significant investment in personnel, if the full potential of the Irish health service is to be realised, to the benefit of all, not least patients themselves.