Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 28 Feb 2001

Vol. 531 No. 4

Adjournment Debate. - Physiotherapy Services.

Mr. Ring

Last year the Western Health Board opened a successful physiotherapy service in the Louisburgh area. The service caters for Westport, Inishturk and Clare Island, and the people of the area are delighted with it. The service was funded under the general practitioners' drugs subsidy scheme by doctors saving money on drugs. Poor people were effectively subsidising the service, but the doctors and patients managed to gather the necessary money for it.

Many elderly people use the service and are happy with it. However, the Western Health Board has decided to locate the service in Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar. The people want the service, with which they are delighted, retained in the area. If it is moved, a person from Inishturk or Clare Island will have to travel by boat to the mainland and get a bus from Louisburgh to Castlebar. They will have to make the return journey in the evening. At present, they can travel to the mainland by boat in the morning and return home early.

Governments and health boards have been talking for the past 30 years about bringing services to the people. This service was brought to the people who responded to it and are delighted with it. Why fix something that is not broken? The service works and the people are happy with it. As the Minister of State, Deputy Moffatt, is aware, a physiotherapy service has not been available in his town of Ballina, Belmullet and other parts of the county. I am aware of the case of a young person who left hospital last week and who needs physiotherapy. However, the person received a letter from the health board yesterday stating that it would be six months before a physiotherapist would be available to treat them in Belmullet.

Ballina has been without a physiotherapist in recent months. The people of Louisburgh and surrounding areas are delighted with the service there because it bring business to the town. People from other parts of the county are travelling to Louisburgh which is a small rural town. I plead with the Minister to speak to the health board and make the correct decision to leave that good service in place. Why is it necessary for people aged over 65 years to travel to Castlebar for treatment? More than 300 elderly people live in the area and they must travel by bus from Louisburgh to Castlebar. These people are in pain and in need of physiotherapy. I urge the Minister to leave the service in place. He should not fix what is not broken.

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and for the opportunity to clarify the situation in relation to the provision of physiotherapy services and the pilot physiotherapy scheme operated by the Western Health Board. I suggest to the Deputy that he needs to improve his relationship with the health board because this matter should be resolved locally.

Mr. Ring

I already contacted the health board.

Mr. Martin

Many of the issues raised in parliamentary questions etc. involve individual cases. Regardless of whether one agrees with the decision, the House gave statutory authority and funding to health boards to deal with such issues. This point needs to be made.

Mr. Ring

The people elected us to this House. The problem is that too much power is being given to health boards and chief executives who do not respond to anybody.

An Ceann Comhairle

The Deputy had his turn.

Mr. Martin

Regardless of whether one agrees with it, the Oireachtas made that decision 30 years ago.

Mr. Ring

It should not have done so.

Mr. Martin

There are no proposals from the Deputy's party or any other party to reverse that decision. Health boards have responsibility for the provision of general practitioner services for people with full eligibility for general medical services. This responsibility extends to the provision of physiotherapy services for those individuals for whom such a service has been prescribed by their doctor. To facilitate GPs and patients in the Mayo area, a physiotherapy service was set up in Mayo General Hospital under which GPs could have direct access to physiotherapy for their patients.

In early 2000, it became apparent that Mayo General Hospital was having problems recruiting physiotherapists and that the waiting list for physiotherapy was steadily increasing. To address the waiting list, the Western Health Board provided £35,000 from GPs' drug savings and contracted three private physiotherapists in Mayo to provide a physiotherapy service in Castlebar, Westport and Louisburgh. This arrangement was not considered a pilot scheme but a short-term solution to the growing waiting list pending the resumption of the physiotherapy service in Mayo General Hospital.

I have been informed by the Western Health Board that the full physiotherapy service based in Mayo General Hospital will resume at the end of April 2001. The full service will enable all County Mayo GPs to have equal access for their patients to physiotherapy services.

The recruitment of allied health professional staff generally is presenting problems for all health boards. It is clear that the demand for the three therapy grades – occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech and language therapy – needs to be reviewed. To address this issue, my Department has engaged Dr. Peter Bacon and Associates to undertake a workforce planning study to report on the prospective supply and demand for a number of therapy grades, including physiotherapy. This report is expected in the coming weeks.

I spoke to my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Moffatt, about this matter and he indicated that, through funding made available by the Department, a convent in Louisburgh was bought recently.

Mr. Ring

I welcome that development.

Mr. Martin

The Minister of State envisages that services could be provided at that centre once it is developed. I will convey the Deputy's views to the health board, and the Minister of State has said that he will take a personal interest in this matter. The purchase of the convent provides opportunities for the provision of locally based services in a good environment. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter.

Mr. Ring

The Minister is most welcome.