Parliament adopts a law allowing direct access to certain nurses, physiotherapists or speech therapists

Parliament definitively adopted, on Wednesday May 10, a Macronist bill to facilitate access to care by unblocking the offices of general practitioners. Under certain conditions, it will now be possible to consult nurses in advanced practice – the “IPAs” who intervene in particular on certain chronic diseases – as well as physiotherapists and speech therapists, without going through the attending physician.

But the initial ambition of the bill, which provoked an outcry from doctors, has been partly reduced. To go to IPAs and physiotherapists, direct access will be limited to those working in structures such as multi-professional health centers, in coordination with doctors.

Experimentation in local professional communities

Contrary to what the deputies wanted, caregivers simply registered in the more flexible framework of the professional territorial health communities (CPTS), which cover around half of the population, will therefore be excluded from the system.

The deputies however snatched an experiment in the CPTS of six departments including two overseas, underlines Stéphanie Rist. For speech therapists in CPTS, direct access will be possible.