My Department has been engaging with the Department of Health on the number of places available in areas where the HSE has identified significant skills shortages. These areas include speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy.
The matter of health workforce planning and ensuring an appropriate pipeline of qualified healthcare workers within Ireland, is a major priority for my Department. The Programme for Government commits the Department of Health to working with the education sectors, regulators, and professional bodies to improve the availability of health professionals and reform their training to support integrated care across the entire health service. An additional 9 places have been secured in physiotherapy and will be available from September 2022, along with an additional 8 places in the Level 6 physiotherapy studies course.
My Department and I are continuing to engage with the Department of Health and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can continue to deliver graduates with the skills necessary to support our healthcare system and support the strategic workforce planning by the health sector.
