Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Fianna Fáil will support the Bill, which makes minor technical amendments to the relevant Act and will facilitate the implementation of the decision to protect the title, physical therapist. This decision was taken following a consultation process and was welcomed by the professional bodies involved. The Bill will amend provisions of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 to address identified gaps in the provisions relating to the appointment of professional members to the Health and Social Care Professionals Council and to registration boards. It will permit a registration board to apply training and education conditions to applicants for registration who have not practised their profession and it will provide further conditions for the registration of physiotherapists and physical therapists in the register of physiotherapists.

The issue of the protection of the title of physical therapist as a variant of the title, physiotherapist, relates in the main to the confusion among the public and other health and social care professionals regarding the similarities and differences in the role of physiotherapists and physical therapists. The legislation proposes to protect both titles under the one prescribed, protected title of physiotherapist to eliminate the ongoing risk of title confusion and the consequent risks to public safety.

The Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists welcomed the decision made to protect the title "physical therapist" under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 which will eliminate the ongoing risk of confusion between the titles "physiotherapist" and "physical therapist". The Irish Association of Physical Therapists also welcomed the decision to introduce a new regulatory regime for physical therapists and physiotherapists. However, concerns have been raised by the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists and these issues will need to be considered on Committee Stage. I would like to address some of them now.

The society is actively liaising with the Minister, Deputy Simon Harris, and Department of Health officials on its concerns which are as follows. First, the Bill provides for access to the register for persons without a qualification. This is a huge public protection issue as anyone calling himself or herself a physiotherapist or a physical therapist without a qualification can apply to join the register. The only clinical requirement will be to pass an assessment of competence. This will expose the public to huge risk.

Second, access for those who have never practised the profession does not have a time limit. This is a loophole that needs to be closed. Any assessment of professional competence must be equivalent to that for the physical therapy profession in order that all registrants will have a similar level of professional competency in order to ensure public protection.

Third, the assessment of professional competence needs to be set at the standard of an IPTAS qualification, not a physiotherapy qualification. As this is the register for the profession of physiotherapists, the assessment of competence should be based on the physiotherapist qualification. It is imperative that all registrants have the same level of professional competency to ensure protection of the public.

The fourth issue is one I hope the Minister will consider. I also hope it will be discussed on Committee Stage. It arises because the Bill does not include the decision that registrants shall be required to confine their practice to musculoskeletal therapy. This is a requirement the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists believes is necessary in order to safeguard the public.

Given the urgency of all of these matters, I urge the Minister to ensure they will be discussed when the Bill moves to Committee Stage.

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