Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Louise O'Reilly for tabling this motion because it goes to the centre of the issues facing our health service, recruitment and retention of specialised staff. We are educating our nursing graduates not only for export but also for the private sector and other careers. Many are leaving the profession after qualification because there is little or no management support when they qualify. There is also an excessive workload and responsibility. Many nurses leave the profession for fear of litigation and because of understaffing in the departments in which they were educated, where they know what the future is. I know people who have qualified as midwives who now work in the hospitality sector and they are extremely happy to have moved career because they were under immense pressure due to understaffing.

There are other issues in respect of a poor career pathway and poor career progression for our nurses. Speciality nurses who come back from abroad to work in Ireland are told they cannot work in the area in which they have expertise but must go into whatever ward they are put on. That is extremely demoralising for them and they pass word back to their colleagues, who will not return to Ireland if these are the conditions in which they have to work. Poor working conditions are a huge issue for recruitment and retention.

The cost of living, particularly in Dublin, is also out of proportion to a nurse's income. That is also having a negative impact on recruitment and retention. Then there is the two-tier pay scale, which was referred to earlier. Many nurses do not feel they are valued members of the health service and, because they do not feel they are valued, they do not have a commitment to the service. For those nurses who are leaving the service, there is no exit survey to ask why they are leaving. Many nurses go to the private sector or to agencies, give up altogether or emigrate. This is the reality of nursing today in Ireland.

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