Written answers

Tuesday, 20 February 2007

Department of Health and Children

Hospital Staff

10:00 am

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 362: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the widespread use of agency nurses throughout the health services; if this is efficient and cost effective in terms of delivery of services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6517/07]

Photo of Mary HarneyMary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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A combination of agency nurses and overtime working provides an additional input of nursing resources to cope with difficulties arising in the provision of services while employers continue the recruitment process to fill vacancies. Agency workers are used to cover unplanned leave e.g. sick leave, force majeure leave, "special" patients (one to one nursing care to manage acute episodes) and to deal with service pressures. The Health Service Executive has responsibility for managing nursing resources including agency nursing. I understand that the HSE is closely monitoring the usage of agency nurses and it is working with a number of the larger hospitals to establish a pilot project aimed at reducing reliance on agency nurses. This project will involve the establishment of a Nursing Bank for the DATHs hospitals. Letterkenny General Hospital has had a Nursing Bank system for in operation the last three years. An audit undertaken has demonstrated significant savings in terms of the requirement for overtime and also enhanced flexibility for staff in terms of the types of shifts they work.

Given the nature of the health services there will always be some requirement for agency nursing, however, it is important that HSE continue to closely monitor the situation to ensure the optimal use of resources in the interest of service users.

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 363: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the extra responsibilities placed on nurses in the context of the day to day operation of hospitals; the extent to which they are remunerated accordingly; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6518/07]

Photo of Mary HarneyMary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I would like to put on record that I hold the nursing and midwifery professions in high esteem and view the care they provide to patients as a critical component of our health services. In recent years the role of nurses and midwives has expanded to meet the needs of health service users. Over the last decade the pay of nurses and midwives has increased significantly as the role of the professions has been expanded and enhanced. A table sets out the pay increases for a sample of nursing grades.

Nurses — Salary Increases — Basic Pay — 1997 to 2006
GradeMax of Scale 1st January 1997Max of Scale 1st December 2006Cumulative IncreaseCumulative % Increase
%
Staff Nurse24,88343,43018,54774.54
Clinical Nurse Manager 227,96355,58827,68998.79
Director of Nursing (Band 1)42,14380,909*43,276102.69
*Directors of Nursing (Band 1) are also eligible for performance related bonus of 6,556 on top of basic pay giving a total salary of up to 87,465.

Nurses and midwives' salaries will increase further in the medium term. The current national agreement Towards 2016 provides for pay increases of 10% over 27 months. Two unions which represent nurses — SIPTU and IMPACT — have signed up to this agreement and their members are being paid the first phase increase of 3% with effect from 1 December 2006. It remains open to the Irish Nurses Organisation and the Psychiatric Nurses Association to sign up to the agreement thus allowing their members to access the associated pay increases. The Government has agreed with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions a basis on which pay and conditions for the public service as a whole should be managed and the second Benchmarking Body has been established to provide an objective means of assessing the appropriate pay for particular groups or professions. SIPTU and IMPACT availed of the opportunity to make submissions to Benchmarking arguing for pay increases for nurses and midwives. In December 2006 the Labour Court recommended to the INO and PNA that the Benchmarking was the appropriate mechanism for processing their pay claims. I would urge these unions to give further consideration to the Labour Court Recommendation.

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