Paul McGrath
Question:93 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children the impact which the new health structures will have on the number of nurses in the health service. [17569/03]
Written Answers. - Health Service Reform.
Paul Kehoe
Question:132 Mr. Kehoe asked the Minister for Health and Children the impact which the new health structures will have on the number of therapists in the health service. [17574/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 93 and 132 together.
The health reform programme was announced on 18 June 2003. The programme's priority focus is improved patient care, better value for taxpayers' money and improved health care management. The reform programme has drawn on the conclusions and recommendations of the two reports, the Commission on Financial Management and Control Systems in the Health Service and the Audit of Structures and Functions in the Heath System, which were published on the same day. The reports and the health reform programme do not deal with the impact that the new health structures will have on the number of therapists and nurses in the health service.
However, 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.
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. These additional places will increase the number of therapists to the levels recommended in the Bacon report. The first intake into the occupational therapy and speech and language therapy courses in the University of Limerick, University College Cork and National University of Ireland, Galway, is planned to take place later this year. Twenty-eight students commenced the new physiotherapy course in the University of Limerick in the 2002-03 academic year. Moreover, there has been a significant increase in the number of therapy training places in those third level institutions already offering degree courses.
In addition to the provision of substantial numbers of additional training places, there has been large increases in the numbers of therapy professionals employed in the health services over the last number of years.
|
Profession |
Number employed 1999 |
Number employed 2001 |
% change 1999-2001 |
|
Occupational Therapy |
371 |
526 |
41.8 |
|
Speech & Language Therapy |
345 |
399 |
15.6 |
|
Physiotherapy |
679 |
896 |
31.9 |
|
Total |
1,395 |
1,821 |
30.5 |
The total increase of 30% – 426 additional staff – in the number of therapy professionals employed in the health services over the two year period to the end of 2001 indicates good progress in responding to the vacancy level identified in the Bacon report.
The recruitment and retention of adequate numbers of nursing staff has been a concern of this Government for some time, and a number of substantial measures have been introduced in recent years. These include an increase of 70% in the number of nursing training places from 968 in 1998 to 1,640 in 2002; payment of fees to nurses/midwives undertaking part-time nursing and certain other undergraduate degree courses; an improved scheme of financial support for student paediatric nurses; payment of fees and enhanced salary to nurses/midwives undertaking courses in specialised areas of clinical practice; abolition of fees for "back-to-practice" courses and payment of salary to nurses/midwives undertaking such courses; financial support to State enrolled nurses, SEN, working in the health service wishing to undertake nursing conversion programmes in the United Kingdom; and 40 sponsorships made available each year for certain categories of health service employees wishing to train as nurses.
I would like to illustrate the improvements that have taken place in nursing numbers generally over the past few years. In 1998, there were 26,611 whole-time-equivalent nurses employed in the public health system. By the end of 2002 this figure had reached 33,395. This is an increase of almost 6,800 during the period or over 25%. The current vacancy rate of 2.6% has been declining steadily in recent years, and could be considered to be a normal frictional rate. It is clear from these figures that the recruitment and retention measures I introduced are proving to be very effective.