John Dolan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I was privileged to be a member of the Physiotherapists Registration Board from its establishment until, some years later, I began busying myself in this House. As such, I am familiar with the yin and yang and the ins and outs of the issues we are discussing today. More specifically, I am very familiar with the treble skill set of the physiotherapist. One soon ceases to be surprised when something that presents as a problem with a shoulder or knee turns out to have its roots somewhere else entirely.

There are three organisations that have been particularly active on this issue, namely, the Irish Association of Physical Therapists, the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists, and Athletic Rehabilitation Therapy Ireland. These organisations undoubtedly have skin in the game but, when everything is worked through, those with the greatest interest in this being done right are the ordinary members of the public. This is a public health and public protection issue. I would never seek to minimise the work done by fellow physiotherapists and physical therapists, all of whom have invested years of their lives and made many sacrifices to become qualified. They, quite rightly, have great pride in their profession. Ultimately, however, our most important function is to ensure the public is protected.

There are several ways of ensuring that protection is in place. One way is to stipulate that where there is a contravention of the rules, there will be repercussions. This is what I refer to as rearview protection in that it arises only after the damage and hurt have already been done. Although it is an important part of any regulatory regime, the most important element is the need to ensure people are properly informed before the event, that is, before they access any treatment. I do not expect the average person to know the difference between a physical therapist and a physiotherapist; it is up to us to ensure the necessary information and protections are provided. The Minister and CORU must both be strong on this point. If I go to a physical therapist, it is important that it be there in lights, so to speak, that this person has a particular, clearly defined, skill set, which would include the three elements. The core point here is the importance of ensuring people receive advance notice and understanding as to the precise qualifications and skills of the person whose expertise they are accessing. Something might be done in this regard via an awareness campaigns, but more will be required. We cannot expect people to be able to divine the difference between a physical therapist and a physiotherapist.

The third group of professionals involved here is the athletic rehabilitation people. My view, which is echoed by others, is that a lot of work has been done to get us to where we are and we should hold steady now at the point at which things are currently resting. The registration of these particular practitioners is important, but their skills should not be confused at this point with the other two skill sets.

To reiterate, I hope we will see an expectation imposed on both physiotherapists and physical therapists of providing before-the-event information and protections. There should be an onus on both practitioners to say what they are as well as what they do. This is part of the process of people learning and engaging as they go on. I know from my own involvement over the past three and a half years that there has been a lot of water under the bridge and a great deal of engagement. It is time now to move matters on and deal with these registration matters.