Vol. 419 No. 1
138 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Health if his Department have given approval to the upgrading of basic grade physiotherapy posts in health board community care areas in accordance with the Vallow report, the Kennedy report and the 1978 Act; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Grading structures which currently apply to the discipline of physiotherapy, whether in community care or hospital settings, are as determined by the findings of an expert working party which reported in July 1978.
The creation of senior posts is justified either in terms of the total number of physiotherapists employed, or alternatively, a senior grading may be justified in particular circumstances where a practitioner is working single-handed in a specialised area demanding a higher degree of responsibility and skill.
There is no basis for the upgrading of posts merely on grounds of location in a community care setting as opposed to a hospital.
