Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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632. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the engagements that his Department has had with the Department of Health, the HSE and the Higher Education Authority since July 2020 to identify skills shortages in health and social care and the need for additional further and higher education courses in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52078/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Officials from my Department are actively engaged on an ongoing basis with the Department of Health, the HSE, the HEA and other relevant Health and Social Care Profession stakeholders to ensure that we can continue to deliver graduates with the skills necessary to support our healthcare system and support the strategic workforce planning by the health sector. The availability of appropriate placements and placement supports is a key enabler of this expansion, and engagement across my Department, the Department of Health, HSE and Higher Education Sector is ongoing.

Health and social care programmes, are by their nature complex in delivery. I am committed to working with relevant Government colleagues in developing graduate pipelines to meet these skills needs.

Securing appropriate long-term placements and placement supports is a key element in unlocking additional provision. It is also crucial that increases in places are introduced in a sustainable way, so that higher education institutions can build appropriate staffing capacity.

My Department is working closely with officials in the Department of Health on emerging workforce requirements, and the placement issue. A workshop including the HSE and higher education providers on placement issues will take place in the coming weeks.

The matter of health workforce planning and ensuring an appropriate pipeline of qualified healthcare workers within Ireland, is a major priority for my Department. The Programme for Government commits the Department of Health to working with the education sectors, regulators, and professional bodies to improve the availability of health professionals and reform their training to support integrated care across the entire health service.