Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and apologise for the absence of the Minister for Health, Deputy Leo Varadkar.

Protection of title is a core function of the Health and Social Care Professionals Council. It is vital that when people access health services that there be no ambiguity about the profession and the competence of the health service provider they are attending. The system of statutory regulation of the professions designated under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 comprises registration boards for the professions, a committee structure to deal with disciplinary matters and a Health and Social Care Professionals Council with overall responsibility for the regulatory system. These bodies are collectively known as CORU and responsible for protecting the public by regulating the 14 professions designated under the Act.

Regulation under the Act is primarily by way of the statutory protection of professional titles by confining their use solely to persons granted registration. The Act provides for a two-year transitional or "grand-parenting" period from the date of the establishment of the register during which existing practitioners must register on the basis of specified qualifications. After this period, only registrants of a registration board who will be subject to the Act's regulatory regime will be entitled to use the relevant protected title.

The Physiotherapists Registration Board is finalising its drafting of the by-laws necessary for the establishment of its register early next year. This means that by early 2018 only registrants of the Physiotherapists Registration Board will be entitled to use the title of "physiotherapist".In other English speaking nations physiotherapists regularly use the title of "physical therapist"interchangeably with that of "physiotherapist". In Ireland, however, for the past 25 years or so and in the absence of State regulation and title protection, the title of "physical therapist"has been used by providers of musculoskeletal therapies in the private sector who are not physiotherapists.

Concerns have been raised that the use of the title of "physical therapist" by practitioners who are not physiotherapists is causing confusion and could lead to patient safety risks. The concern is that doctors and their patients and people who are self-referring might view both titles as interchangeable and think they are being treated by qualified physiotherapists when they are not. The Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists has been seeking for some time to have use of the title of "physical therapist" also protected for the exclusive use for registrants when the two-year transitional period ends.

Towards the end of last year, in accordance with the legislation, the Minister consulted the Physiotherapists Registration Board about options to address this issue. Having considered the board's detailed response, he wrote to other interested organisations seeking their views on the proposal to make a regulation, to come into effect after an appropriate lead-in time, to protect the title of "physical therapist".Several submissions have been received and they are being reviewed in the Department. The key issue is to ensure public protection. This will not be compromised when the Minister appropriately addresses the concerns and legitimate interests of the other parties involved. It is hoped to progress the matter very shortly.

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