Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 June 2023
98. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 85 of 30 March 2023, if he will indicate in which academic year the additional academic places will be introduced in therapy disciplines resulting from the expression of interest process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26739/23]
View answerThe delivery of healthcare programmes is complex and requires coordination across multiple parts of the health and education systems, particularly in relation to the oversight and governance of clinical placements.
Following challenges faced by the higher education sector in securing sufficient appropriate and reliable clinical placements, in mid-2022 my Department established a working group to identify and address barriers to expansion in the health and social care professions. This working group includes representatives from the Department of Health, the HSE, CORU, and the Higher Education sector, with officials from the Department of Education and Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth joining more recently.
This group has made good progress and the Health and Social Care Professions Office within the HSE is developing a Framework for Practice Placement Education. I understand that the Department of Health have also recently appointed a Health and Social Care Professions Officer to lead on enabling expansion in health and social care professions.
Officials from my Department are continuing to engage with Higher Education Institutions to maximise additionality in Health and Social Care Professional undergraduate programmes in September 2023, and subsequent years. My officials are also engaging with the Department of Health as these additional places require additional resources, and fundamentally require placements to be put in place by the HSE and the Department of Health.
The HEA has also advised higher education institutions of their intention to conduct an exercise to identify where substantial additional capacity could be built in priority Health and Social Care Profession disciplines. It is important that planning for such provision takes account of timelines for the development of physical infrastructure, the recruitment of staff, and the approval of programmes by regulators.
