Dr Doyle is first female head of Medical Council
A GENERAL Practitioner from Bray has been elected as the first woman President of the Medical Council.
Dr Rita Doyle is also the first full-time GP elected as President.
Dr Doyle operates a family practice in Bray and has been a GP for over 30 years. She is also a past President of the Irish College of General Practitioners.
The council’s purpose is to protect the public by promoting and better ensuring high standards of professional conduct and professional education, training and competence among doctors.
Dr Doyle said she was ‘delighted and honoured’ to be appointed president of the council.
‘ The primary role of the Medical Council is to protect patients and support doctors. I believe that the Medical Council should continue to support doctors and encourage them in their role as advocates for their patients, and in doing so, we will need to continue to highlight the shortcomings in our health services that are directly impacting patient care and creating too many impossible situations for doctors,’ she said.
‘In order to fulfil our dual remit of protecting patients and supporting doctors, we must continue to engage with the medical schools and the post-graduate training bodies to ensure that our doctors are re- ceiving the highest standard of education and training. I am delighted to see the dramatic increase in enrolment rates in professional competence schemes and we must work with our stakeholders to ensure that continual professional development is relevant and of the highest standard,’ said Dr Doyle.
She also addressed the importance of supporting doctors, with the Medical Councils’ Health Committee offering support to 45 doctors last year.
‘Doctors get sick too and often find themselves in a position where they need additional support and guidance,’ said Dr Doyle. ‘Doctors should not be afraid to seek help and health managers, Clinical Directors and employers need to be aware of the options available should a colleague, employee or a friend need that assistance.
‘ The primary role of the Medical Council’s Health committee is that of supporting the maintenance of registration and appropriate monitoring of doctors with identified health problems where there is no patient risk. There should be no fear about engaging with the Health Committee among the profession or in seeking help from any of the other bodies providing support’. I am a pensioner living alone. I used to get an allowance towards my telephone bill, but it stopped a few years ago. I heard it might be coming back – is this true?
THE allowance you used to get was the Telephone Allowance, which was a monthly payment towards your mobile phone or landline and was part of the Household Benefits Package. This payment was discontinued in January 2014.
What you may have heard about is the new Telephone Support Allowance (TSA).
The TSA is a weekly payment from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP) which aims to help with the cost of communications and/or home alert systems for people who live alone and have limited means.
To qualify for the TSA, you must be getting both the Living Alone Increase and the Fuel Allowance along with another social welfare payment such as the State Pension. Since the week of June 4, 2018, the TSA has been paid automatically to people who qualify.
There is no application form and you do not need to contact the DEASP to apply.
The TSA is a payment of €2.50 a week. It is paid in addition to your weekly social welfare payment.
If you believe you should qualify for the TSA but have not been getting it since June 4, contact the DEASP section that pays your main pension or benefit. You can find these contact details on welfare.ie.
Further information about the TSA is available from the Citizens Information Centre below. My daughter is leaving school and she is thinking about doing an apprenticeship. How can she qualify for an apprenticeship and how much are apprentices paid?
AN apprenticeship is the recognised way that people are trained in a craft trade or profession. It involves both training on-the-job with an employer and training off-the-job in an education centre.
To be eligible for an apprenticeship, your daughter must be at least 16 and should have at least a grade D in five subjects in the Junior Cert. However, some employers may only take on an apprentice with higher qualifications or may have other requirements.
If your daughter doesn’t have the required qualifications, she might still be able to do an apprenticeship – she should check with her local Education and Training Board (ETB).
Traditional craft apprenticeships include construction, electrical engineering and motor sectors. For example, there are apprenticeships in carpentry, plumbing, car mechanics and electrical trades. This type of apprenticeship usually lasts for four years. Your daughter should contact the apprenticeship section of her local ETB.
New occupational apprenticeships are being developed in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), medical technology, insurance, finance, accountancy, logistics and hospitality. These apprenticeships last between two and four years. For these, your daughter should apply to the industry lead for the apprenticeship she is interested in. She can also contact the apprenticeship section of her local ETB for information.
While your daughter is training on-the-job, her employer will pay her a recommended apprenticeship wage. If she is training in certain sectors, SOLAS pays a weekly allowance equal to that wage while she is training off-the-job. In all other sectors, her offthe-job payments will depend on her employer, although SOLAS will contribute to travel and accommodation costs.
Your daughter can find a full list of apprenticeships on apprenticeship.ie.