Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Bill 2019
-
From: Department of Health
- Published on: 19 February 2019
- Last updated on: 26 October 2020
The Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Bill 2019 amends the five health professional regulatory Acts, in particular in relation to fitness to practise and registration.
The key amendments include:
- applicants for registration must declare on application, and annually thereafter, any convictions, or sanctions imposed on their practise by a regulatory body (inside or outside the State)
- disciplinary inquiries in other jurisdictions can be used as admissible evidence in fitness to practise proceedings in Ireland
- all sanctions will be published to ensure the public has access to information about disciplinary sanctions imposed on doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists and other regulated health professionals
- practitioners will have the right to appeal to the High Court when minor sanctions of advice, admonishment or a censure in writing have been imposed on a practitioner. Currently there is no right of appeal for these sanctions
The five acts are the Dentists Act 1985, the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005; the Pharmacy Act 2007; the Medical Practitioners Act 2007; and the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011.