Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The report of the emergency department expert group identified a need to take on additional nurses to care for boarded patients awaiting admission from emergency departments. This is particularly where the number of patients awaiting admission occupy over 50% of the emergency department cubicle capacity for the hospital concerned. Having regard to the formula set out in the report for calculating the required nursing complement, an additional 107 nursing and midwifery posts are to be created and filled to look after all admitted patients in emergency departments. The group also recommended that nursing numbers in emergency departments are brought to their full agreed staffing levels.

There are many initiatives currently under way to improve staffing levels throughout the country. The number in nursing and midwifery increased by 1,650 between December 2013 and December 2016.

The HSE is offering permanent posts to 2016 degree programme graduates, and full time permanent contracts to those in temporary posts. The HSE is also focused on converting agency staffing to permanent posts. Its national recruitment service is actively operating rolling nursing recruitment campaigns. The campaigns encompass general, mental health, intellectual disability, registered children's nurses and also midwives. The acute hospital groups have advertised a number of emergency department nursing posts and are currently in the recruitment process. Of the 144 emergency department nursing posts that were identified as vacant, half have been filled to date.

The HSE ran a three-day open recruitment event over the Christmas holiday period in Dr. Steevens’ Hospital, which I was pleased to attend, for nurses and midwives from all disciplines who are interested in working in the Irish public health service. Some 220 people attended the event. Some 115 nursing and midwifery candidates were deemed successful following interview. This event will be followed by a series of career events for nurses throughout 2017 with the next one scheduled for 31 March 2017.

A relocation package of up to €1,500 continues to be available to nurses who return from overseas. These campaigns and others that are in the process of being developed will be used to fill the remaining vacant emergency department posts and the additional 107 posts that are to be filled. We remain absolutely committed to filling these posts. The Deputy will also be aware that we are currently in conversations about these very issues with the IMNO and SIPTU.

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