Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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291. To ask the Minister for Health to outline the extent to which he remains satisfied that adequate nursing and medical staff remain available throughout public sector hospitals to ensure maximum efficiency and ability to meet demand for both medical and surgical beds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37111/15]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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297. To ask the Minister for Health to outline the extent to which sufficient doctors and nurses can be recruited to ensure the efficiency and efficacy of the public health system, with particular reference to the utilisation of all space available in public hospitals and allied to staffing level ratios, thereby ensuring a smooth operational service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37117/15]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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298. To ask the Minister for Health to explain his view on the comparisons that have been made between the public and private health sectors to ascertain the extent to which the public sector can recruit the necessary staff to meet requirements, based on relative workloads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37118/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 291, 297 and 298 together.

The number of consultants has grown significantly in recent years to 2,700 WTE. This includes an increase of 300 consultants since the Government came into office, in spite of the economic crisis. The number of NCHDs has also increased significantly, by over 1,000 since the end of 2010, and now exceeds 5,400. There are currently 500 more nurses employed by the HSE in September 2015 than in September 2014 bringing the total number of nurses and midwives employed to 34,852 (WTEs).

Targeted efforts are underway to address current recruitment and retention issues in the public health sector. These include the implementation of the Strategic Review of Medical Training and Career Structure, and the work of the Taskforce on Staffing and Skill Mix for Nursing. My Department has also committed to developing a National Integrated Strategic Framework for health workforce planning, in collaboration with other Government Departments and agencies. The main objectives of this framework will be the recruitment and retention of the right mix of staff, provision of career and professional development and the creation of supportive and healthy workplaces. A Cross-Sectoral Working Group is in the process of being established and will begin its work early next year. It is expected that an implementation plan will be delivered before the end of 2016.

Implementation of the recommendations of the Strategic Review will support the more efficient delivery of services through, for example, transfer of non-core tasks and the matching of new posts to requirements. The Taskforce on Staffing and Skill Mix for Nursing was established to develop a framework that will determine safe staffing and skill mix requirements for the nursing workforce in a range of major specialties. Phase I of its work has focused on the development of a Framework for safe nurse staffing and skill mix in general and specialist adult medical and surgical care settings in acute hospitals. The primary focus of the Framework is patient safety, by ensuring safe nurse staffing and skill mix levels. The next step is a planning and testing phase, to test the capability of the framework to deliver on its intended outcomes, which will commence in Quarter 4, 2015 with roll-out throughout 2016.

I am aware that there are many differing aspects to working in the public and private health sectors that may influence health professionals in making a decision whether or not to accept an offer to work in the public health sector. Contribution to public service and flexible work patterns can, for example, act as incentive to work in the public health sector.