Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)

I am pleased to take this debate on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. I would like to outline to this House the position regarding the funding of physiotherapy clinical training. The model for the training of physiotherapists in Ireland, including the clinical component, is in line with best practice internationally. Students on the four physiotherapy courses are required to undergo clinical training for a period of 1,000 hours, equivalent to approximately 26 weeks. This training is delivered in approximately seven clinical sites at different periods over the four years of the degree programme.

I do not accept the validity of the comparison between payments for the clinical training of nurses and physiotherapists. Physiotherapy students are supernumerary while on their clinical placements. The clinical training component of the nursing degree is 2,300 hours, equivalent to 74 weeks, and is laid down by EU directive. The clinical training for nurses is more than double the training given to physiotherapists. Student nurses are not paid when on supernumerary clinical placements. A rostered placement or internship takes place towards the end of the nursing degree programme, during which the student is a paid employee of the Health Service Executive and receives a salary based on 80% of the staff nurse salary. These students replace staff nurses according to an agreed ratio.

I would like to take this opportunity to set out the range of measures which have been put in place to support the training of physiotherapists. In 2002, a significant increase in the numbers of training places in three therapy professions, namely, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy, were announced. An increase of 25 training places in physiotherapy was necessary to meet the long-term demand for physiotherapists in Ireland. A new physiotherapy course with places for 25 students was established in the University of Limerick in 2002 in addition to the existing physiotherapy courses in UCD, TCD and the RCSI. The total number of training places now stands at 152.

The provision of sufficient clinical placements in physiotherapy was essential to the successful roll-out of these additional training places. Over the past two years, the Department worked with the Health Service Executive to develop the enhanced structures necessary to ensure students have access to a sustainable and high quality clinical training model. A national implementation group co-chaired by the Department and including representatives from the higher education institutes, professional therapy bodies and professional managers has been established to address the ongoing need to source clinical placements over the longer term.

A significant level of funding has been secured by the Minister for Health and Children. A total of €5.18 million, including €2.75 million announced in budget 2006, has been allocated since 2004 for the development of therapy clinical training.