Minister for Health congratulates students on health and social care CAO offers and notes additional places this year
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From: Department of Health
- Published on: 28 August 2024
- Last updated on: 29 August 2024
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly congratulated thousands of students who will embark on studies in health and social care in the coming weeks after receiving CAO offers today. The Minister also welcomed the substantial increase in the number of healthcare-related student places available this year. This additional expansion in healthcare college places continues to drive forward the commitment to increase and plan the workforce for the healthcare sector.
Minister Donnelly said:
"I've been determined that we need to double the number of college places to ensure we can sustain the increasing workforce in our health and social care services. This work has been underway for the past few years and resulted in over 460 additional student places in healthcare disciplines in Irish higher education institutions in the academic year 2023/24 and similar increases for 2024/2025."
There is a strong focus on student expansion in therapies including speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy to support disability services.
This follows government approval in July 2024 for the prioritisation of funding to support the expansion of training places in priority healthcare areas. Additional places commencing in September 2024 include expanded intakes on Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Podiatric Medicine, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy programmes.
Minister Stephen Donnelly is working with Minister O'Donovan and the HSE to ensure clinical placements are available alongside the extra college spaces.
Minister Donnelly added:
"The increase in college places across healthcare disciplines will lead to more doctors, nurses, midwives and other key health professionals graduating from Irish universities. This is an important step in meeting the future needs of the health service.
"I want to congratulate all of this year’s Leaving Cert students, but especially the thousands of future nurses, doctors and health and social care professionals who will embark on studies in health and social care after receiving CAO offers today. There are also other career pathways into health and care professions. Working in the health and care sector is an important and rewarding career decision and I wish all our students well in their future endeavours."