Registry regulation won’t be in force until 2021
The healthcare regulator says it does not know when a register of psychologists will be established, despite the Department of Health saying the process of regulating a profession would usually be completed within the time spent on it so far — meaning it could be 2021 at the earliest before it comes into effect.
As it stands, anyone can call themselves a psychologist regardless of their level of education or training, prompting fears that vulnerable and unsuspecting members of the public could seek help from people with no qualifications.
Legislation to regulate the trade was introduced in 2005. However, the Health and Social Care Professionals Act covers 14 professions including clinical biochemists, dietitians, and occupational therapists, and the act is being introduced on a phased basis.
A Psychologists Registration Board was established in July 2017, and at the time the Department of Health told this newspaper that the board would prepare the necessary bylaws to enable it to establish a register of recognised psychologists.
“This usually takes about 12-18 months,” a department spokesperson said at the time.
However almost 18 months later, there is no indication as to when the register will be open.
The department referred queries to CORU, the body responsible for the regulation of health and social care professions.
“No date has been set for the opening of the register,” said Kevin Maguire, CORU’s executive officer for communications.
“It is true to say that 12 -18 months would be the average timeframe,” Mr Maguire said of the timeframes involved in establishing a register for a healthcare profession.
However, depending on the level of complexity for a profession, the work can take longer.
“From its establishment, the Psychologists Registration Board recognised the significant scope of work to be undertaken, in order to open its register, given the complexity of entry routes to specific disciplines of psychology.
“The importance of this preparatory work is essential to set the correct standards to implement statutory regulation for psychologists and assure protection of the public,” he said.
Mr Maguire said a vital part of assuring public protection is establishing the correct standards for education and training for entry to the register.
“This work is necessary as the board cannot open the register until such time as it has approved the education programmes that meet these standards,” he said.
The board have made substantial progress, including undertaking extensive research for setting the appropriate criteria for education and training programmes and standards of proficiency for psychologists. The board will continue to progress its vital work in 2019 towards opening of the register for psychologists.
The Department of Health had previously said it intends to allow a two-year grace period after the establishment of the board’s bylaws to give currently practising psychologists adequate time to ensure they meet the new standards.
This effectively means anyone could call themselves a psychologist until 2021 at the earliest.
The Psychological Society of Ireland provides a register of its members, all of whom have attained a certain level of qualification. However, membership of the PSI is not compulsory for a practicing psychologist and the body is self-regulating.
