Vol. 554 No. 5
1205 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of vacant radiographer posts at each hospital at 30 June 2002; if delays in extending the BreastCheck screening programme are caused by radiographer shortages; the number of radiographers who graduated in 2002; his plans to increase the number of graduate radiographers each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17231/02]
BreastCheck, the national breast screening programme, commenced in March 2000, with phase one of the programme covering the Eastern Regional Health Authority, Midland Health Board and North-Eastern Health Board areas. Screening is being offered free of charge to all women in those areas in the target age group 50 to 64 years of age.
BreastCheck, as with many other sectors of the health services, has found it difficult in the past to recruit specialised radiographers. This shortage of staff has meant that the programme had been unable to screen women as quickly as anticipated. BreastCheck recognised this difficulty some time ago and took a number of initiatives to address this shortage, including running both national and international recruitment campaigns.
This has resulted in the recruitment of additional radiographers and BreastCheck currently has a full complement of radiographers, numbering 18 in total. BreastCheck is on target to complete phase one of the programme by December 2002. To the end of August 2002, 91,906 women had been called for screening and 68,184 women have been screened, representing an uptake of 74 per cent.
No information is compiled for the national annual health service census on vacancy levels. There has, however, been an increase of 48, 6.3% in wholetime equivalent, WTE, terms in the number of radiographers employed in the public health service in the period 2000-01.
As far as the number of graduates in radiography is concerned, in 2002, it is expected that a total of 22 radiographers will graduate from the two training schools at UCD, diagnostic and TCD, therapeutic – 15 are expected to graduate from UCD and seven from TCD. UCD has increased its number of training places by five in the 2002-03 academic year, from 20 to 25. It is intended to increase this number to 40 students in the 2003-04 academic year. TCD agreed to increase its intake from ten to 25 students with effect from the 2001-2002 academic year.
The Deputy may wish to note that the ERHA is currently co-ordinating a concerted recruitment campaign for scarce health and social care professionals including radiographers on behalf of all the health boards.
