End the Pay and Numbers Strategy

The Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists (ISCP) formally calls upon the Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and the Chief Executive of the Health Service Executive (HSE) Bernard Gloster to cease the Pay and Numbers strategy. This strategy has proven devastating to both patients and healthcare workers alike, decimating services to patients.

The limitations imposed by the Pay and Numbers strategy directly affect patient care. We draw attention to the following:

·        Current average waiting times for a physiotherapy appointment stand at 1 year, with one service reporting 265 weeks to first appointment.

·        There were 85,533 patients on waiting lists for physiotherapy in community settings in December 2024, an increase of 115% since 2019.

The Pay and Numbers strategy has placed enormous strain on Physiotherapists. Several  surveys conducted by  ISCP and the HSPCA since June of last year have found:

·                82% of Physiotherapist managers reported staff vacancies

·                Physiotherapy service vacancy levels at  40% on average

·                86% of maternity and parental leaves  unfilled

·                95% of those surveyed experiencing high levels of work related stress and burnout related to the moratorium and pay and numbers strategy

·                55% had considered leaving the profession in the last year.

The ISCP stands firm in its belief that the current Pay and Numbers strategy is detrimental to the overall health system.

The Society supports Physiotherapists in their participation in industrial action and calls for an immediate end to the Pay and Numbers strategy and establishment of appropriate staffing levels matched to service demand.