Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 April 2014
622. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn a direction issued to all staff in the Dublin Dental Hospital by their human resources department requesting all staff to stop taking work experience placement students, if he will outline if this is now policy in teaching hospitals; if he will direct the hospital to reverse this policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16380/14]
View answer623. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that if the board of the Dublin Dental Hospital discussed and agreed the new policy from their human resources department requesting all staff to stop taking work experience students; if his representatives on the board agreed to this policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16381/14]
View answer624. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a list of all examples and correspondence related to and from the Dublin Dental Hospital where work experience students interfered with the smooth running of clinics and other activities; if he will detail any complaints from practising staff about work experience students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16382/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 622 to 624, inclusive, together.
The Dublin Dental University Hospital has advised that it will cease approving transition year or similar student placements from the beginning of the new academic year. I understand that the presence of additional observers impacts significantly on space in clinics as well as potentially diverting the attention of supervisors from their own students. As this was deemed to be an operational matter, the decision was taken by the Executive Team, not the Board and does not concern other teaching hospitals. The Department of Health has no correspondence from Hospital staff on this matter and has no plans to issue any direction to the Hospital on this issue.
