My Department is engaged in ongoing and intensive collaboration with the Department of Health, Department of Children, Disability, and Equality and Department of Education and Youth along with the HSE and the Higher Education Authority to ensure that workforce planning for speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy is fully aligned with national service needs.
This engagement is structured through a coordinated, cross-Government approach, including an Inter-Departmental Working Group and joint workforce modelling and gap analysis. This work has identified significant shortages across these therapy professions, particularly in the growth of complex needs across disability services, Children’s Disability Network Teams, the new National Education Therapy Service and broader community-based care.
In response, Government has already delivered substantial expansion in these specific disciplines. Since 2023, this has included an additional:
167 Physiotherapy• training places, representing approximately 80% growth
80 Occupational Therapy• , representing approximately 62% growth
25 Speech and Language Therapy• places, representing approximately 21% growth
These increases form part of a wider expansion of 461 places across the Health and Social Care Professions and demonstrate a clear alignment between higher education provision and workforce demand identified by the HSE.
Expansion decisions are informed by detailed workforce projections, regional service needs, and ongoing engagement across Government. The Higher Education Authority has also completed a national clinical placement mapping exercise, which plays a critical role in aligning education capacity with health service delivery.
While alignment is strong, clinical placement capacity remains the primary constraint on further expansion, as placements are a regulated requirement for qualification. A recent national clinical placement mapping exercise has been completed by the HEA with the relevant HEIs and currently is being reviewed by the HSE. Once completed this will help inform future expansion.
Looking ahead, a new Expression of Interest is being finalised for activation by my Department and the HEA, which will support further targeted expansion in these disciplines, ensuring that additional places continue to reflect workforce demand and are delivered sustainably, particularly in disability and community care services.
