Over 600 extra college places in medicine, nursing and therapy aim to boost health staff numbers

Some 665 additional places on third-level courses across medicine, nursing and therapy disciplines are to be created as part of efforts to boost healthcare staff numbers.

This includes 250 university places in the North for students from the South in first of its kind initiative following engagement between the Department of Higher Education; Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University; and the Departments of Health on both sides of the Border.

Of the 415 additional places in the Republic, 205 relate to nursing and midwifery while 60 are in medicine and 50 are across the disciplines of occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech and language therapy.

Two hundred of the new third-level places to be funded in Northern Ireland by the Department of Health in the South are in nursing.

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A further 50 places in Ulster University include 20 places for occupational therapy, 20 for physiotherapy, and 10 places in speech and language therapy.

It is proposed that the students would avail of these places on the same terms and conditions as other students on the programmes.

The Irish Times previously reported on plans for the Government in the South to fund 250 college places in the North last month.

Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris said: “Increasing the workforce is absolutely essential to addressing demands in the healthcare system and to improving access to the services people rely on.”

Mr Harris said: “The further and higher education sector has a critical role to play in ensuring that our healthcare services have the staff they need to deliver the care that people need, and these places are an important step in that direction.”

He described the initiative to fund college places in Northern Ireland for students from the Republic as “a great example of North-South collaboration to the benefit of all involved.”

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD welcomed the new training places in nursing and midwifery and health and social care professions coming this September.

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He said he is working with the higher education sector as he seeks to double the number of undergraduate training places in these areas “to meet the health workforce needs of our population”.

Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman said increasing the supply of therapists “is the best way of ensuring that the Health Service Executive can deliver much-needed interventions for children and cut the waiting lists for assessment of need”.

Over the coming months, Minister of State for Disability Anne Rabbitte is to chair a cross-departmental group on workforce planning in the disability sector.

She said, “It’s important that we have a clear pipeline of appropriately qualified people and today’s announcement demonstrates how we’re going in the right direction to bolster the potential staff available to support people.”