Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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587. To ask the Minister for Health the measures in place to ensure physical assault support schemes are equitable across all grades; if there are differences in the support scheme available for support staff compared to other grades; if so, the reason this is the case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11078/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Ensuring the safety of employees and service users is a priority concern for government and for the HSE. It is intolerable and completely unacceptable that the staff of the health service have to endure assaults while endeavouring to deliver care.

The HSE is committed to creating a safe environment within which to work and they continue to place an emphasis on the management of work-related aggression and violence in 2023 to support their strategy and policy.

HSE employees who are absent from work as a result of a serious physical assault by a patient/client incurred in the course of their duties are covered by the Serious Physical Assault Scheme (Long Term Absence Benefit Scheme Guidelines (2012).

The Serious Physical Assault at Work Scheme provides for full pay (including allowances and premium earnings) for a period of up to 6 months for officer grades; up to 3 months for support employees grades; and special extensions to the scheme are possible for nurses at 3 months at basic pay plus allowances and premium pay and 3 months at basic pay only.

The provisions of the Scheme are the subject of an outstanding claim by SIPTU trade union which calls for equal access to the Serious Physical Assault Scheme for all relevant healthcare workers and support staff.

The claim is currently under consideration by the HSE and the Department of Health.