Health Services Staff
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-23
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Neale Richmond (FG), Dublin Rathdown

I am very grateful to Senator Nelson Murray for raising this vitally important issue and its impact on health services across our country. I know only too well, particularly in Navan hospital, how important these roles are. The Minister for Health has asked me to convey that to her because it is recognised that future health services require new approaches. It is essential that patient safety is prioritised in the implementation of any healthcare role.
Due to a lack of clarity as to the scope of practice and governance arrangements for the physician assistant role, the HSE paused recruitment and commissioned an independent review of the role. As the Senator has outlined, the purpose of the physician assistant role is primarily to assist the medical team in its provision of care to patients. As permanent members of staff, they can play an important role in the organisation and co-ordination of care across the medical team and with other teams involved in the provision of care to patients and in enabling continuity of care for patients, particularly at changeover times.
The primary purpose of pausing HSE recruitment of physician assistants, commissioning an independent review and developing a HSE implementation plan is to support the safe and consistent deployment of the role across the Irish public health system. As committed in the 2025 national service plan, the HSE commissioned an independent review of the physician assistant role.
The review is led by Mr. Leo Kearns who is the CEO of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and the Irish Medical Council. He was also the national lead for transformation and change for the HSE.
An extensive consultation process formed part of the review, including surveys, focus groups, written submissions, verbal input and face-to-face meetings. Stakeholders consulted as part of the review included patient and service user representatives, the Department of Health, the HSE national functions and health regions leadership, clinical leaders, professional system regulatory bodies, educational and professional institutions, hospital and service management and trade unions and representative bodies. The consultation process also involves engagement with practising physician assistants.
As the Senator laid out, the review is now complete. The report made recommendations regarding scope of practice, clinical governance, supervision and employment. I am pleased to confirm to the Senator that the HSE will publish the report on Friday, 1 May 2026. The Minister for Health has received a report on the HSE’s implementation plan. The HSE is now moving to an implementation phase, focused on strengthening governance, role clarity and national consistency. During this implementation plan, it is expected that the HSE will communicate with stakeholders, including those working in and managing health services, educators and professional bodies. As the implementation progresses, officials in the Department of Health will continue to engage with the HSE and, crucially, physician assistants themselves.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-23/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:51+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-23