Public Consultation: Physiotherapists – Draft Education and Training Requirements for Physiotherapists Referral for Radiological Diagnostic Procedures
The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, announced on 1st July 2024 that physiotherapists working in relevant roles across the health service will soon be invited to apply to train for the authority to refer patients for radiological diagnostic procedures, including procedures that would involve exposure to ionising radiation such as x-ray. The first group of physiotherapists will begin training in University College Dublin (UCD) in September 2024. The development of this training programme is funded by the Department of Health through the Sláintecare Integration Innovation Fund.
There are extensive legislative requirements concerning the exposure to ionising radiation for the safety and protection of service users, practitioners and the public more generally, most notably: Statutory Instrument 30/2019: Radiological Protection Act 1991 (Ionising Radiation) Regulations 2019 and Statutory Instrument 256/2018: Basic Safety Standards for Protection Against Dangers Arising from Medical Exposure to Ionising Radiation.
Recognising the need to ensure public protection, the designation of appropriately trained physiotherapists to act as referrers for radiological diagnostic procedures requires regulatory oversight to set the standard of competence for the practice of referring.
Having reviewed the threshold entry level requirements to the Physiotherapists Register – the Standards of Proficiency for Physiotherapists – the Physiotherapists Registration Board determined that the knowledge, skills and professional behaviours required of physiotherapists to act as referrers were not part of the threshold standards for entry into general physiotherapy practice. As such, for practitioners to act as referrers they will be required to undertake additional education and training.
* Please note the mandatory entry requirements, as established by the Physiotherapist Referral for Radiological Procedures Expert Working Group convened by the Department of Health, for admission onto an education training programme for physiotherapist referral for radiological procedures, are accessible here.
To this end, and to ensure physiotherapists are trained and have the competence to act as a referrer, the Physiotherapists Registration Board has drafted education and training requirements for physiotherapist referral for radiological procedures education and training programmes. These draft requirements are comprised of two documents:
- Standards of Competence for Referral for Radiological Diagnostic Procedures: these articulate the knowledge, skills and behaviours that a registrant must demonstrate on completion of an education and training programme specific to the practice of physiotherapist referral for radiological diagnostic procedures; and
- Requirements for Education and Training Providers offering Physiotherapist Referral for Radiological Diagnostic Procedures Education and Training Programmes: these identify the curriculum, assessment and quality assurance requirements an education provider must meet with regard to how its physiotherapist referral for radiological diagnostic procedures education and training programme is designed and managed to ensure that all graduates meet the Standards of Competence.
Copies of both documents are available below for you to access.
Education providers seeking to design and deliver an education and training programme to train physiotherapists to act as referrers for radiological diagnostic procedures will be required to seek approval of their programme by the Physiotherapists Registration Board. All programmes seeking the Board’s approval must demonstrate how they meet all the requirements the Board will set out in its Standards of Competence and Requirements for Education and Training Providers.
Public Stakeholder Consultation
As part of the Physiotherapist Registration Board’s process in setting the education and training requirements for physiotherapist referral for radiological diagnostic procedures education and training programmes, it is seeking feedback from stakeholders, including members of the professions, education providers, employers, professional bodies, as well as members of the public.
How to submit your views:
You are invited to submit your feedback – your personal views or on behalf of your organisation by:
- completing the online questionnaire, accessible here;
- submitting written feedback via email to strategyandpolicy@coru.ie; or
- writing to: PRB Public Consultation, CORU, Infinity Building, George’s Court, George’s Lane, Smithfield, Dublin 7, D07 E98Y
Closing Date:
The consultation will run for 4 weeks, opening for feedback on Monday, 15 July 2024 and closing at 5pm on Friday, 9 August 2024. Any submissions received after this date will not be considered.
Following the close of the stakeholder consultation period, CORU will review all the feedback received as part of this public engagement and prepare a report of findings for the Physiotherapists Registration Board.
The Board will review and evaluate the feedback received, making any changes or amendments to the draft Standards of Competence and Requirements for Education and Training Providers, before agreeing and issuing final versions of the documents to education providers.
If you have any questions or if you require further information, please contact CORU by email strategyandpolicy@coru.ie.
We thank you in advance for your participation in this consultation.