Over 22,000 health and social care professionals working in 12 professions are now registered with CORU, the regulator’s 2021 Annual Report has shown.

This marks a 15% increase in registrants in just one year.

CORU was established in 2005 with the mission to protect the public by promoting high standards of professional conduct through a process known as statutory registration. This legally requires people working in a CORU-designated profession in Ireland to register with CORU.

To do so they must demonstrate they have the required education, undergo the Garda vetting process and agree to comply with a Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics.

CORU-designated professions include dietitians, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, medical scientists and radiographers.

Welcoming the publication of the report, CORU chief executive, Ginny Hanrahan, thanked the CORU team for their “tireless work and dedication while navigating a pandemic”.

“CORU is now established as one of the largest professional regulators in the country, regulating the work of over 22,000 professionals nationwide. This growth is set to continue and as we continue to deliver upon our legislative mandate, we anticipate growing to over 35,000 professional registrants in the coming years,” Ms Hanrahan noted.

She said that the “ultimate responsibility” of CORU is to ensure that every patient of a CORU-registered professional “consistently enjoys the highest quality of care”.

“In 2021, we received 58 complaints in relation to fitness to practice and processed 36 enforcement files, demonstrating our commitment to act whenever concerns are raised,” Ms Hanrahan pointed out.

She added that CORU plans to build on its progress by opening the six remaining registers for professions due to be regulated, including psychologists, psychotherapists and clinical biochemists.

The 2021 Annual Report can be viewed here.