Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. The background to this issue is that nurses who trained in a country outside of Ireland and wish to work in Ireland are required to apply to register as a nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, NMBI The NMBI, following assessment of qualifications by an applicant, may require an applicant to undertake a six-week period of adaptation and assessment. A period of adaptation is designed to make up for differences in education and ensure competence for working in the Irish health service. If this adaptation is required it must be successfully completed as a prerequisite to registration.

In 2014, the HSE facilitated 151 nurses to complete a period of adaptation for the private nursing home sector. In 2015, as part of a pilot project, the HSE has scheduled additional clinical adaptation programmes. These will take place in April, June and August for the private nursing home sector. A maximum of 197 places will be offered on these programmes for which there are currently 60 nurses identified. The pilot project is due to finish in October 2015. In addition, separate initiatives to meet the demand for adaptation programmes for the public health sector have recently been commenced, and these are being co-ordinated and managed by the hospitals concerned.

I am advised there is currently an anticipated need for 272 clinical adaptation placements based on projected workforce needs outside the planned 2015 provision for the private nursing home sector. At present, there is no capacity for additional placements onto the nationally co-ordinated clinical adaptation programme developed for private nursing homes. There are 42 health service locations approved by the NMBI for the provision of clinical adaptation programmes. Current difficulties do not relate to the number of sites but rather to the pressure on front-line services to facilitate clinical adaptation, such as the availability of clinical facilitators to co-ordinate and manage clinical placements and oversee and monitor the assessment process.

I understand alternative approaches for the provision of clinical adaptation are currently being explored. However, any options that may arise from this initiative will not bring any benefits in the short term. Therefore, there still remains a requirement to provide adaptation programmes. Discussions on the issue among Nursing Homes Ireland, the HSE office for nursing and midwifery services and the Chief Nursing Officer's office are scheduled to discuss this matter in the coming weeks.