Ensuring an appropriate pipeline of suitably qualified professionals in healthcare professions, including oral healthcare, is a key priority for me and my Department. I want to build on the progress made in the last few years in expanding the number of places in these vital disciplines.
Healthcare programmes are, by their nature, complex to deliver. They require many parts of the system working together.
The Department of Health is receiving technical support under the European Commission Technical Support Instrument (TSI) 2021 to develop a Health and Social Care Workforce Planning Strategy and Workforce Planning Projection Model based on international best practice. These models recognise the differing employment retention patterns of EU and non-EU students.
A key outcome of project is the development of the necessary tools, processes, and technical capacity to produce rolling health and social care workforce planning action plans and implement targeted policy measures for health and social care workforce reform. Officials in my Department are engaging with the Department of Health and the project team to support this outcome.
To understand options for substantial expansion in key disciplines, the HEA conducted an Expressions of Interest process with the higher education sector. The options identified have the potential to transform the numbers of students who can take up places on these programmes and would represent a significant investment of public funding in our higher education institutions.
There are ongoing discussions with Government colleagues including the Minister for Health and Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform on options to fund this expansion.
