Dáil debates

Wednesday, 16 December 2015

Topical Issue Debate

Health Care Professionals

2:45 pm

Photo of John BrowneJohn Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State and other Members of the House will have received many representations on protecting the public by protecting the titles of "physiotherapist" and "physical therapist" in one register under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act. I understand the Minister for Health will make a final decision on the matter in the coming weeks. The proposal has been recommended to him by the State regulator, the Physiotherapists Registration Board, and is also strongly supported by the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists, the professional body for physiotherapists-physical therapists in Ireland, which has more than 3,300 members. Support for the protection of both titles has come from many reputable bodies, including the Irish Medical Organisation; the Irish Hospital Consultants Association; the Irish College of General Practitioners; the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland; and the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland; Trinity College Dublin and the Univeristy of Limerick; the deans of medical facilities; the Irish Patients Association; IMPACT; the Federation of Voluntary Bodies; regulatory bodies around the world, including Canada, America, New Zealand, Australia and, importantly, the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland; and the World Confederation for Physical Therapy, the world professional body, where the two titles are interchangeable and considered the sole preserve of the physiotherapy profession.

The strong view is that the implementation of this proposal would maximise protection and eliminate the current widespread public confusion. The Health and Social Care Professional Act sets out to protect the titles of 14 health professionals and the title of "physiotherapist" is protected. The Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists believes it is imperative, for a number of valid and compelling reasons that I will outline, a second title of "physical therapist" also gains protection under the legislation.

In the United Kingdom and internationally the title "physical therapist" is synonymous with "physiotherapist" and the titles are, therefore, interchangeable. The difficulty is that a group of people in Ireland have adopted the title "physical therapist". While this group enters into practice after the completion of short part-time courses, varying in length from six to 15 months to three years, physiotherapists, on the other hand, undertake a full-time four-year professional university degree course, with provision for a postgraduate follow-up degree. This leads to considerable confusion since neither the public sports organisations nor many other individuals and groups related to health professions in the country are aware of the fact that physiotherapists and physical therapists and the level of services provided by each are completely different.

This is not a livelihood issue or about having to stop practising, rather it is about changing the title in order that physical therapists and physiotherapists would mean the same and to take away the confusion caused for the public. The titles mean the same all over the world except in Ireland. It is time that they also mean the same here.

Photo of Jimmy DeenihanJimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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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.

Photo of John BrowneJohn Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply and respect the fact that the Minister, Deputy Leo Varadkar, consulted the different organisations and the relevant bodies and that the matter is now with the Department for a final decision. The people who have contacted me and many other Deputies are anxious that the Minister make the decision before the Government falls, which may happen in the very near future. The Minister is the darling of the media and will probably be re-elected, but he might not be Minister for Health. It is important before he leaves office that he sign off on the regulations as sought by physiotherapists and that he do this as quickly as possible.

Photo of Jimmy DeenihanJimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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This may be the Deputy's last contribution in this Dáil, given that he is not seek re-election.

Photo of John BrowneJohn Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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It could happen.

Photo of Jimmy DeenihanJimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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I will certainly convey his sentiments to the Minister. This is an issue about which I have spoken in the past and in which I have an interest. I appreciate the fact that the Deputy has raised it in the House and received some clarification on it. I will convey his concerns to the Minister.