Physical therapist welcomes Varadkar decision

Physical therapist Dave Pyne from Pyne Sports & Injury Clinic in Fermoy has welcomed the decision made by Minister for Health Leo Varadkar to protect both the titles of Physical Therapist and Physiotherapist under one register – (ISCP) Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists.

In summary, IAPT Physical Therapists with specific IPTAS qualification, or the equivalent, will be grand-parented into Ireland’s multi-profession health regulator – the CORU Physiotherapy Registration Board.

Dave Pyne B Sc IAPT Registered Physical Therapist, is one of the few Munster based physical therapist to hold the required qualification. Dave informs The Avondhu that this is initially what the joint proposal by the IAPT and ISCP in 2012 sought.

“The great news for the public is that patients seeking treatment can have total confidence that the physical therapists or physiotherapists who treat them will be state registered practitioners practicing at the level required by the State.”

“Other than the registered practitioners, no one else will be legally allowed use either of these two titles,” Dave explained.

Minister Varadkar noted he was particularly impressed with the efforts of the IAPT and ISCP to find an acceptable and workable solution. The IAPT supported regulation and ran a strong campaign calling to be included in a fair transparent regulatory health scheme. This included an online petition on www.change.org to help protect and regulate the title of physical therapist.

Dave thanks everyone who has signed this petition and says history has shown that, whenever an organisation has a monopoly in an area, ‘standards have fallen’.