Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 195: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if the rostered placement will be reduced to 34 weeks, excluding leave for the 2005 intake onwards, in view of the proposed changes to the structure of the rostered year for B.Sc. nursing students; if, prior to these changes taking place it will be appropriate that some discussion take place with the HEI's, the heads of the nursing schools, the Department of Health and Children, the health service providers, An Bord Altranais and student representatives (details supplied). [19157/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Government has invested heavily in the new four-year undergraduate nursing degree programme which started in 2002. The total capital investment in building 13 new nursing schools around the country will be in the region of €240 million on completion. Ongoing revenue funding will be in excess of €90 million when the full cohort of students are in place in 2006. The primary concern of my Department is to ensure a safe and effective service for patients. This means that not only must the training and education of nurses be of a high quality to produce nurses fit for purpose and practice but patient safety must not be compromised in the course of this training.

Nursing is a practice-based profession and half of a nurse's education is spent in clinical placement for which 49 weeks currently is paid on the basis of 80% of a staff nurse salary. The first roll out of the rostered year commenced in early 2005, with the exception of one college which commenced in September 2004. Currently the course is structured so that students undertake the paid rostered year between the third and fourth year of the programme. During the rostered year students replace nurses at an agreed ratio. The arrangements for the rostered year therefore, have a direct impact on service provision.

It became clear to my Department last year that the structure of the degree programme put in place by higher education institutions and the length of the rostered year, coupled with the specific requirements of An Bord Altranais, had made it very difficult to ensure that students had sufficient relevant generic and specialist clinical placements completed before they took on the role of rostered employees of the health services. It was therefore necessary for certain changes to be put in place to solve the immediate difficulties and to avoid similar problems arising in the future. To ensure that the existing arrangements for the rostered placement could go ahead my Department agreed that a replacement ratio of 3.5:1, students to nurses, instead of the anticipated 2:1 ratio would apply for a transition period. This change in the replacement ratio gave rise to significant costs of €2.5 million in 2004 and an estimated additional cost of €9 million in 2005 rising to €11.95 million in each of the years 2006-08.

The changes to the structure of the undergraduate nursing degree programme which are to be put in place for the 2005 intake onwards are based on findings of the independent report carried out on behalf of my Department by Deloitte & Touche and extensive consultation by my Department with key stakeholders including An Bord Altranais, higher education institutes, health service providers and the nursing unions. The changes include the reduction of the rostered placement to 34 weeks, excluding annual leave, for the 2005 intake onwards with the placement moving to the end of the programme finishing in week 52 of the fourth year, this will have the effect of maximising the overall amount of clinical experience available in advance of the rostered placement; and revisions to the Bord Altranais requirements and standards for nurse registration education programmes. The structure of the revised programme provides for a minimum of 63 weeks theoretical instruction and 45 weeks supernumerary clinical placement prior to the rostered period. This will ensure the completion of all theoretical and supernumerary generic and specialist clinical placements prior to the rostered placement.

These changes will not impact on students who are currently undertaking the programme. I am satisfied that the changes will continue to meet the needs of the health service providers in addition to maintaining the integrity of the undergraduate nursing education degree programmes.