Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 54: To ask the Minister for Health and Children when it is intended to carry out a national staffing audit on the nursing personnel in hospitals here; the intended scope of that audit; if it will establish minimum requirements for each hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29969/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Health Service Executive has commissioned a Review and Feasibility Analysis of Nursing and Other Related Staff Resource Deployment in the Health Service Executive (HSE). The review commenced at the end of July and a final report is expected by January 2008. The aims of the review are:

To conduct a system wide and national analysis of current nursing/midwifery and other staffing resource deployment by clinical unit having regard to bed occupancy and acuity;

To compare the current use of our nursing resource in Ireland against best international practice. This will be benchmarked against OECD and other analysis of human resources for healthcare;

To recommend the optimal configuration of our nursing resource in the delivery of health services taking account of best international practice and the emerging transformation programme;

In the light of the above, to assess the feasibility of the introduction, on a cost neutral and Wholetime Equivalent (WTE) neutral basis, of a reduction in the weekly hours of work (of the staff involved) by reconfiguration of the workforce. Such a feasibility study will determine whether any potential risk to the availability, quality and accessibility of health service provision might ensue.

Fifty-two acute hospitals are being surveyed as part of the review. The review is not designed to establish minimum or maximum staffing requirements for hospitals but, rather, to report on the project objectives and deliverables outlined above.