Vol. 566 No. 1
130 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Health and Children the actions he intends to take to address the major shortcomings in the psychological services; the number of staff vacancies broken down by post in each health board area; his views on the joint review board's recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12029/03]
425 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children if the funds necessary will be provided to ensure that the vacancies in the psychological service of the North-Eastern Health Board will be filled as a matter of urgency; the initiatives he is introducing to ensure that sufficient post-graduate places for the professional training of clinical psychologists are taking place; the steps he is taking to ensure that the recommendations of the psychologist career structures report, which included representatives from his Department, the Health Services Employers Agency and IMPACT are implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11496/03]
430 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Health and Children when he proposes to appoint the required number of psychologists to north and mid-Kildare in view of the fact that, despite the recommendations of the joint review group report on psychological services, there is no psychologist employed in north or mid-Kildare to care for children, which has been the situation since March 2002; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11549/03]
433 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Health and Children when the joint review in respect of the psychological services will be implemented in each health board area; when the recommendations contained in that report in respect of training, management structure and the recommendations will be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11626/03]
470 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of vacancies for psychologists in the SEHB area; his plans in relation to the filling of the vacancies; the efforts made to date by the SEHB and his Department; the impact the shortage is having on the delivery of services to those most in need; the steps being taken by the SEHB and his Department to attempt to deliver an adequate service; if he has received the psychologist career structures and the report submitted by IMPACT and the HSEA; the changes he has introduced on foot of this report; if he will implement the joint review group's recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11813/03]
504 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps he has taken to improve management structures and better support systems for psychologists; the steps his Department has taken to implement the joint review group's recommendation in relation to increasing the number of training places to 50 per year, the establishment of director posts in each health board, the establishment of principal posts in each health board and efforts to deal with the number of vacancies in the psychological service in the medium term; if his attention has been drawn to the significant whole-time vacancies for psychologists in the Midland Health Board area; the steps his Department is taking to deal with same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12084/03]
523 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will ensure that the Government addresses the psychology services in the north-west due to the non-implementation of the HSEA review document recommendations; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that that there is a 40% vacancy rate in the NWHB; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that this shortfall is having a major impact on their ability to meet the demand for psychology services in Sligo and Leitrim; the plans he has in place to deal with the waiting list and waiting times for access to psychology services; when the joint review groups recommendations will be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12182/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 130, 425, 430, 433, 470, 504 and 523 together.
Following the publication of the report of the joint review group on psychological services in the health services in March 2002, a major priority for my Department was to promote an integrated and co-ordinated approach by the health boards to its implementation over time. This applied in particular to the major recommendations of the report relating to the organisation and management of psychology services, entailing very substantial increases in the number of principal and director level psychologist posts.
Given the key role of the health boards executive in fostering collective working and progressing organisational change and development in the health service, my Department secured the agreement of the executive to work with the directors of human resources in the health boards towards the implementation of the recommendations of the report. The present position is that the directors of human resources are in the process of individually considering the recommendations contained in the report and how their boards might propose to proceed with the implementation process in due course. This work is being undertaken in light of: service imperatives; funding priorities; and the budget 2003 announcement on public service numbers.
