asked the Minister for Health the total numbers of (a) home helps (b) public health nurses and (c) occupational therapists employed in the health sevices.
206.
Written Answers. - Health Services Personnel.
196.
asked the Minister for Health if he has any proposals to appoint more occupational therapists in each health board area.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 196 and 206 together. The staffing information requested by the Deputy, expressed in wholetime equivalence terms, is as follows:
|
TotalW.T.E. |
|
|
Home Helps |
638 |
|
Public Health Nurses |
1,283 |
|
Occupational Therapists |
178 |
The source for this information is the provisional results of the Health Services Personnel Census conducted at end June 1988.
With regard to the appointment of occupational therapists, the position is that, in common with all other grades, all health agencies have the opportunity on a monthly basis of notifying my Department of their priority requirements in the making of permanent appointments. Approvals are then issued in accordance with current Government policy on public service employment. Under this process, a total of seven occupational therapists posts have been approved for permanent appointment to date in 1988. Individual health agencies retain autonomy to make necessary temporary appointments within certain guidelines.