Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 29 May 2003

Vol. 567 No. 7

Written Answers. - Psychological Service.

Seán Ryan

Question:

203 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will report on the psychological services within the ERHA; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there are 86 vacancies for psychologists, a vacancy rate of 41%, and 57 vacancies for psychologists employed in the public health service, a vacancy rate of 64%; and if he will implement the joint review group recommendations, especially the commitment to bring the number of training places to 50 per year, the establishment of director posts in each board, the establishment of principal posts in each community area and a significant reduction in the number of vacancies in psychological services in the medium term. [15018/03]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

Following the publication of the report of the joint review group on psychological services in the health services in March 2002, a major priority for my Department was to promote an integrated and co-ordinated approach by the health boards to its implementation over time. This applied, in particular, to the major recommendations of the report relating to the organisation and management of psychology services, entailing very substantial increases in the number of principal and director level psychologist posts.

Given the key role of the health boards executive in fostering collective working and progressing organisational change and development in the health service, my Department secured the agreement of the executive to work with the directors of human resources in the health boards towards the implementation of the recommendations of the report. The current position is that the directors of human resources are in the process of individually considering the recommendations contained in the report and how their boards might propose to proceed with the implementation process in due course. This work is being undertaken in light of: service imperatives; funding priorities; and the budget 2003 announcement on public service numbers. In this context, it is important to bear in mind that the overall budgetary and economic position in 2003 has had important implications for all aspects of public spending, and this is reflected in the Estimates and budget adopted by Government for 2003.

Given these constraints, my Department, together with the directors of human resources in the health boards, is prioritising support for the implementation of a key recommendation of the joint review report relating to human resource planning through the provision of a substantial number of additional post-graduate training places in clinical psychology. This has resulted in a threefold increase since end-1999, from 26 to 83, in the number of student clinical psychologists employed in the health services. This development, in enhancing graduate output, will help maintain an improved balance between demand and supply in human resource and service provision.

My Department remains committed to working on an ongoing basis with health agencies, educational providers and the education authorities to ensure adequate provision of training places in clinical psychology, consistent with the medium-term human resource requirements of the health services and the important recommendations on investment in training and education detailed in the Action Plan for People Management published in November 2002.

A particular priority is to secure the best return, in terms of graduate output, on the very significant financial resources currently being invested in the health services to support post-graduate clinical psychology training. Consequently, my Department, together with the health boards' directors of human resources, is currently examining the current model for post-graduate psychology training, with the objective of supporting training provision on a planned and sustainable medium-term basis.

Responsibility for the provision of psychology services and human resource planning, including the monitoring and filling of psychologist posts, in the eastern region rests with the regional chief executive of the Eastern Regional Health Authority. The regional chief executive, in managing the workforce in his region, is responsible for determining the appropriate staffing mix and the precise grades of staff to be employed in line with service plan priorities, subject to overall employment levels remaining within the approved regional employment ceiling. My Department has, therefore, asked the regional chief executive of ERHA to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply to him directly.