Ms Rachel Kenna:

As regards theatre assistants, we are looking at the development of roles that will support nurses, midwives and doctors in practice. As the Deputy noted, theatre assistants are well integrated internationally into acute settings, and other types of assistants into community settings as well. It is part of our strategic outlook in terms of policy direction to look at these and other roles. Physician assistants are currently being trained here through the RCSI and are employed in some hospitals through the HSE. These roles are not new to our workforce planning and they are being considered in that regard.

In terms of nurses being highly qualified, the Deputy is correct. Our success in terms of advanced practice is testament to the skills, knowledge and expertise of our nursing and midwifery workforces. In supporting that, there has been an increase. We have a policy target now of 3% of our entire nursing and midwifery work force being at advanced practice level. This year, with the additional 149 posts that are currently in the process of final recruitment, we will be at 2.25% of our workforce. We have achieved significant growth at the higher level of practice, at the top of the licence for nurses and midwives.

To support that, part of the expert review on nursing and midwifery will look at the implementation of the recent healthcare assistant review that was done in 2019. That is about the support and development of healthcare assistant roles within and throughout the service. We are also working in close collaboration with colleagues in the HSE to develop healthcare assistants through apprenticeship-style training processes to fill and meet the demand of what is now developing through Sláintecare.