The provision of health related support services, including speech and language therapy, is a matter for the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards in the first instance. I understand that the Western Health Board is aware of the problem referred to by the Deputy and is pursuing a number of possibilities to alleviate it, including the possibility of using private therapists to provide services on its behalf.
In response to my concern about current labour shortages affecting the therapy professions nation-wide, my Department commissioned a report from Dr. Peter Bacon and Associates on current and future supply and demand conditions in the labour market for certain professional therapists. The report was particularly concerned with speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. The study, a comprehensive quantitative assessment of workforce requirements for qualified personnel in this area to 2015, was published on 25 July last. The report concludes that a major expansion in the numbers of therapy professionals over the next 15 years is essential, including a fourfold increase in speech and language therapists. This will require a significant increase in training places with a recommended annual increase of 75 course places for speech and language therapy.
Other key recommendations of the report include: the provision of sufficient clinical placements within the health service through the establishment of a national network of clinical placement co-ordinators; the need for fast-track qualification and review of the existing training system; the need for concerted recruitment from overseas; the establishment of the planned system of statutory registration consistent with the requirement for a patient-centred health service; and career structure, workload, working practices and skills-mix issues encompassed in the context of the report of the expert group on various health professions, published in April 2000.
I am working closely with my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Woods, to ensure the rapid provision of the additional places as an urgent priority. To this end, an inter-agency working group has been established comprising representatives of my Department, the Department of Education and Science and the Higher Education Authority. The Higher Education Authority has initiated a formal bidding process between third level educational institutions to respond to the training needs identified in the study.