Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 April 2013
1284. Deputy Nicky McFadden asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the rationale for the requirement that doctors registered on supervised division of the medical register apply for transfer to general division after two years by completing a pre-registration exam system; if he will consider correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17114/13]
View answerResponsibility for maintenance of this Medical Register lies with the Medical Council. The Supervised Division was established in 2011 by amendment to the Medical Practitioners Act 2007 to enable the Health Service Executive (HSE) to recruit doctors to practise under supervision for a fixed term in specialty specific, non-consultant hospital doctor posts. It was established to address a shortage of doctors in the HSE.
This amendment to the Medical Practitioners Act requires that doctors registered in the Supervised Division only practise medicine in the post to which they have been proposed by the HSE, while under strict supervisory arrangements, for a period of up to two years. These assessment and practice arrangements are designed to protect patients. The amendment was intended to complement and not to replace arrangements already in place for registration of doctors pursuing training in Ireland.
Under the arrangements for registration set out in Part 6 of the Medical Practitioners Act, doctors registered in the Supervised Division, wishing to establish themselves in practice on an ongoing basis outside the supervised, specialty specific posts for which they were initially assessed, may transfer to the General Division or the Trainee Specialist Division.
Once registered in the General Division, practitioners may practise medicine on an ongoing basis in Ireland in any post and without any regulatory limit on scope of practice. The ability to practice medicine in any post was not assessed in the specialty specific assessment, which was designed for registration in the Supervised Division.
The registration process for entry to the General Division involves an assessment to ensure that the practitioner is fit-to-practise in a diverse range of positions. For most doctors currently registered in the Supervised Division, this will involve examination by way of the PRES, which is designed to ensure that the doctor demonstrates competence in a general scope of practice, which is consistent with registration in the General Division of the register. This is a critical and necessary measure to protect the public.
Doctors registered in the Supervised Division may also seek registration in the Trainee Specialist Division provided relevant criteria are met. These criteria include having access to a recognised training post, holding a document which is deemed equivalent to a certificate of experience, and being successful at the PRES, or being exempted from this exam.
The Medical Council is currently working with the HSE to operate an efficient process for doctors seeking transfer from the Supervised Division. Doctors currently registered in the Supervised Division wishing to transfer registration to the General Division must engage in this process.
