Written Answers - Therapy Services.
Olwyn Enright
Question:
205
Ms Enright
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
the way in which he intends to ensure an adequate supply of therapists given that there is a need for an increase in the number of physiotherapy training places as well as occupational therapy and speech and language therapy training places, that graduates from new courses will not graduate until 2005 and 2007 and that the Bacon report suggests that shortages in the therapy area will not be completely solved in 2015.
[8504/03]
Significant progress has already been achieved in increasing the number of professional therapists working in the public health services in line with the recommendations of the report, Current and Future Supply and Demand Conditions in the Labour Market for Certain Professional Therapists, commissioned by my Department from Dr. Peter Bacon and Associates and published in June 2001.
As the Deputy will be aware, in May 2002 I announced, in conjunction with the Minister for Education and Science, an additional 175 therapy training places in physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy to achieve the recommended increase in the number of therapists recommended in the Bacon report. The first intake into the occupational therapy and speech and language therapy courses in the Uni versity of Limerick, University College Cork and National University of Ireland, Galway, is planned to take place later this year, while 28 students commenced the new physiotherapy course in the University of Limerick in the 2002-03 academic year. There has been a significant increase in recent years in the number of therapy training places in those third level institutions already offering degree courses in these areas to address the human resource requirements of the health services.
In addition to the provision of substantial numbers of additional training places, the Deputy may wish to note the large increases in the numbers of therapy professionals employed in the health services over the last number of years as set out in the following table.
|
Profession
|
No.employed1999
|
No.employed2001
|
% change1999-2001
|
|
Occupational Therapy
|
371
|
526
|
41.8
|
|
Speech and Language Therapy
|
345
|
399
|
15.6
|
|
Physiotherapy
|
679
|
896
|
31.9
|
|
Total
|
1,395
|
1,821
|
30.5
|
Given the 426 (30%) increase in the number of therapy professionals employed in the health services over the two year period to the end of 2001, it is clear that good progress has been made in responding to the vacancy level identified in the Bacon report. Information in respect of employment levels at the end of 2002 is being compiled by my Department and will be available shortly.
Significant investment in new services since 2000 has given rise to additional staffing requirements. As a result, intensive efforts have been undertaken to improve staffing levels at local and national level as recommended in the Bacon report. Overseas recruitment by health agencies has made an important contribution to meeting the employment needs of the health services in areas experiencing shortages of fully trained and qualified therapy staff. Undertaking a concerted overseas recruitment drive by the Northern Area Health Board on behalf of all health boards in 2002 resulted in the employment of 95 additional therapy professionals, consisting of 44 occupational therapists, 14 speech and language therapists and 37 physiotherapists.
Increased attractiveness of employment in the health services as a professional therapist has been achieved through such measures as pay enhancements, developments in career structure and enhanced opportunities for professional development as a result of the continued implementation of the recommendations of the report of the expert group on various health professionals. The implementation of the pay recommendations of the Public Service Benchmarking Body will make a further contribution to the recruitment and retention of therapy professionals.
The introduction of a fast-track working visa scheme for health and social care professionals and the streamlining of procedures for the validation of overseas qualifications are other initiatives that have been taken to help meet the human resource requirements of the health services in these areas. A total of 74 speech and language therapists and 198 occupational therapists were validated in 2002 by the national validation unit based in the Northern Area Health Board and 21 speech and language therapists and 44 occupational therapists have been validated to date in 2003.
Having recruited and developed such a large number of staff in recent years, it is a priority to retain them by offering a challenging and rewarding career path. In a human capital and skills intensive health sector, retention has been identified as a key issue in better people management. The implementation of the action plan for people management, which I launched in November 2002, also has a crucial role to play in boosting the capacity of the health services to retain scarce skilled health and social care professionals.
The proposed introduction of a grade of therapy assistant into the health services was among a number of recommendations contained in the report of the expert group on various health professions. This new grade is intended to complement the roles of the major therapy professions, and its development and introduction will be progressed by my Department as part of the continuing implementation of the expert group report.
This initiative will form part of the overall move towards building on skill mix as set out in the modernisation process for the health service under Sustaining Progress, the new social partnership agreement for 2002 to 2005. As outlined in Sustaining Progress, skill mix is at the core of the requirement for the re-design of jobs, development of new ways of working and the determination of the quality and cost of health care. Enhanced skill mix will benefit patients, empower health personnel to reach their full potential, maintain skill levels and also help to secure a more rational utilisation of available health care personnel through a close matching of skills to functions and service needs.
On the basis of a long-term workforce planning exercise to 2015, the Bacon report estimates that recommended increases in therapy training places, which are being put in place, will meet long-term demand arising at that time, including that arising from demographic developments and gains in living standards over the next decade. The increase in graduate output under way together with the other developments and initiatives I have outlined will make an important contribution to meeting existing demand on an ongoing basis.
