RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland)

Lobbying Organisation RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland)

Date published 21 Jan, 2016

Relevant Matter Legislation

Public Policy Area Education and Training

Period 1 Sep, 2015 to 31 Dec, 2015

Specific Details Statutory Registration of Healthcare Professionals and Protection of titles of physical therapy and physiotharapy

Intended results The protection of both titles of "physical therapy" and "physiotharapy"

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Professor Marie Guidon, Head of the RCSI School of Physiotherapy

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Letter (1)

An email was written to Minister Varadkar on the in relation to the issue of the protection of the synonymous titles Physiotherapy and Physical Therapy under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act. These titles are used interchangeably internationally for graduates of RCSI programmes who attain education to level 8 or 9 in Bachelors and Masters degrees. The issue of what titles will be protected under the Registration Board remains to be decided by the minister and the purpose of this email was to draw attention to the serious implications for RCSI students, graduates a should the situation where a separate professional group may use the title Physical Therapist (as opposed to Physiotherapist) is permitted to continue.

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Leo Varadkar Minister (Department of Health)