Press release
Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Act 2023 passes into law
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has today welcomed the signing into law of the Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Bill 2023 by President Michael D. Higgins.
The Act amends the Medical Practitioners Act 2007, the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005, and certain un-commenced sections of the Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Act 2020.
Speaking about the legislation, Minister Donnelly said:
"I'm pleased the President has now signed the Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Act 2023 into law, ensuring there is a fair and proportionate pathway for social care workers to register with CORU, Ireland’s multi-profession health regulator, and see Member State citizens with equivalent experience treated the same as their Irish counterparts.
"Similarly, this will apply to UK citizens, reflecting the historical cooperation between our two islands in matters relating to cross-border healthcare, while recognising the strong worker mobility between the UK and Ireland, and have a positive impact on service provision in border counties.
"This Act provides greater powers to the Social Care Worker Registration Board to determine the competence of an employer or former employer to form an opinion, and to determine the duration of any employment relationship. Registration of social care workers and the protection of the title from November 2025 are important patient safety measures and I welcome the opening of the register later this year.”
Amendments introduced by the 2023 Act when applied to existing provisions of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005, include:
Social Care Work is a designated profession under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 and the profession is due to be regulated by CORU in November 2023 when the register for Social Care Workers is due to open. After two years, the title of social care worker will be protected (November 2025) and registration with CORU will be required to practise the profession.
Once the register opens, the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 will provide five routes to registration - section 38 which will be used by graduates of one of the approved social care work programmes and section 91 which will be available until November 2025 for existing practitioners who have worked in the profession for two years by that deadline and either:
(i) hold a qualification specified in Schedule 3 of the Act; or
(ii) hold a professional qualification deemed to be sufficiently relevant and attesting to a standard of proficiency comparable to a specified Schedule 3 qualification; or
(iii) complete an Assessment of Professional Competence; or
(iv) have been determined by their employer to meet the standards of proficiency for the profession in accordance with guidelines issued by CORU