Dr. Emer Begley:

In 2024, 2,780 people in Ireland were in receipt of a PA service. This is a very small number. The potential for the expansion of PA services is huge, but without a national policy or legislation on the right to a PA, things will be extremely difficult. It is really difficult to retain and recruit PAs. As Mr. Dalton said, people do not know what a PA does. It is not a valued role and there is no pay alignment. Mr. Doyle can speak about the IWA’s experience in that regard.