Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the two Ministers and the Minister of State who spoke in the debate and the constructive approach that was taken to the motion by various non-Government groups. I add to the welcome of the nurses, midwives, the INMO and the PNA for attending the debate.

Where are we after all the debate? A Minister and a Minister of State said the solution needs to be within the PSSA, and we agree. We tabled the motion carefully to ensure we can do that. The PSSA allows for measures targeting recruitment and retention. I reiterate that in Galway, one in three operating theatres is closed because theatre nurses cannot be hired, while only one in four vacancies is being applied for. The HSE's submission, which did not make it into the final report, stated the overall picture of nursing and midwifery workforce is one of a constant challenge to effectively recruit and retain to meet ever-increasing service demands, that the stability and sustainability of the workforce throughout the year is challenging, subject to peaks and troughs, particularly in the case of graduates, and that these challenges need to be viewed through a lens of increasing health service demand. It went on to discuss the issues of recruitment and retention.

The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has insisted it will not bring forward proposals for additional pay as part of the moves to avert the strikes. The Minister for Health praised nurses and midwives in his contribution but having done so, the next word in his speech was "however". He stated he was "eager to come to a fair and satisfactory solution", yet he did not once address the unfair and unsatisfactory situation that exists, namely, that a 22 year old graduate nurse who walks in the front door of a hospital on his or her first day of work and stands beside a 22 year old graduate physiotherapist - both honours degree-level graduates - will be paid €7,000 less. If the Minister wants a fair and satisfactory solution, the Government must address the unfair and unsatisfactory reality, which the INMO is bringing to bear and which is causing the recruitment and retention problems, leading to a serious knock-on effect on patient care.

In my experience, the Government is not good at listening to those working in healthcare. It is not good at listening to doctors, consultants or dentists, and it is clear that it is not good at listening to nurses and midwives. In the debate, I did not hear a Government listening to what nurses and midwives are asking for, and I did not hear engagement with their arguments, but I heard many reasons that there cannot be engagement with their arguments. It is time the Government answered the reasonable questions put by the INMO. Why are graduates of the same level, such as a nurse and a physiotherapist, subject to a pay differential of €7,000? If the Government begins to engage and address the concerns, and sets up an independent commission to address these issues and many others, perhaps a strike can be averted. Critically, recruitment and retention can be addressed, patient care can be improved, and the nursing and midwifery professions can go from strength to strength.

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