Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I commend Deputy Louise O'Reilly on putting forward this very important motion. It is an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed. We need action and commitment from the Minister for Health because this has gone on too long.

The depletion of nursing and midwifery staff from our health services and the gradual erosion of their working conditions has reached catastrophic levels. It is undeniable that if these issues of pay, retention and recruitment are not addressed as a matter of urgency, the crisis will impact severely on medical outcomes for patients. Irish nurses who leave this country arrive abroad with an internationally recognised quality standard which is much sought after but it is not appreciated here, while those who remain here at home, and who work tirelessly and with dedication in our hospitals, are treated with contempt by the State.

Irish nurses and midwives work longer hours and are at greater risk to their personal safety than any of their European colleagues. They are contracted for 78 hours, or two full weeks, per year more than their UK or Canadian counterparts. On top of this, an average of 34 non-psychiatric nurses and midwives are subjected to workplace assaults every single month. That is unacceptable and needs to be addressed.

I urgently call on the Government to introduce measures which will ensure the retention of existing staff and secure the recruitment of new entrants. We know nurses are under severe pressure given overcrowding has become a prevalent feature of our health service. We know accident and emergency departments are overcrowded every single weekend. In my constituency, the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore is one of the hospitals where staff are under tremendous strain. That is unacceptable and it leads to the cancellation of elective surgery for elderly patients. This is having a knock-on effect. The way we are treating our nurses affects all of society and we need to address this. It will only be addressed by treating our nurses fairly and by pay equality and permanent contracts across the grades of the professions on the pay scale, and by the introduction of new workplace safety measures to reduce the incidence of assault.

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