Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is certainly something that can be examined. Many different areas, such as advanced practitioners in health and social care professional grades, are also being considered as well. We are looking into a lot of innovation in this regard.

To go back to the original question on international recruitment, we are supplementing the national workforce through international recruitment across several professions. The recruitment of doctors from overseas has long been a feature of HSE recruitment but, last year, in addition to doctors, approximately 1,000 nurses were recruited from the international market. So far this year, an additional 650 nurses have been recruited into posts in hospitals and community settings. There is a strong international recruitment campaign under way.

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