Written answers

Tuesday, 22 November 2016

Department of Health

Nursing Staff Recruitment

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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391. To ask the Minister for Health if he or his departmental officials have recently met the HSE to discuss the nursing shortages, particularly since the latest recruitment drive has failed to fill the 1,000 vacancies across the acute hospital system; his views on whether this is having a negative impact on morale and productivity; the actions he will take to address the shortages in the short, medium and long-term futures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35752/16]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am committed to making terms and conditions for all nurses and midwives working in the Irish public health system as attractive as possible.

There is ongoing engagement between officials of my Department and the HSE on recruitment and retention of nursing and other front line staff. Nursing and midwifery recruitment and retention is a priority for the health service. There are many initiatives currently underway to improve staffing levels throughout the country in the short, medium and long term. The HSE is offering permanent posts to 2016 degree programme graduates, and full time permanent contracts to those in temporary posts. The HSE is also focused on converting agency staffing to permanent posts. The HSE's National Recruitment Service is actively operating rolling nursing recruitment campaigns. The campaigns encompass General, Mental Health, Intellectual Disability and Registered Children's Nurses, and also Midwives. In addition, a relocation package of up to €1,500 continues to be available to nurses who return from overseas.

A number of specific measures have also been taken in relation to pay that will support the recruitment and retention of Irish nursing and midwifery graduates. Measures to date include the first stage of pay restoration under the Lansdowne Road Agreement, additional pay in return for taking on some duties from doctors and an increase in the rate of pay for the student nursing placement to 70% of the first point of the staff nurse pay scale. Last month the Government approved restoration of incremental credit for all nurses in respect of the 36 week clinical placement undertaken by 4th year student nurses in the context of the 2017 Estimates. This decision means that all nurses and midwives will receive incremental credit for the 36 week placement restored from 1 January 2017, restoration of the credit to 2016 and future graduates having been approved earlier this year. It is estimated that the inclusion of 2011 to 2015 graduates will benefit around 4,000 nurses who are currently working within the public health service and potentially another 3,000 who may wish to return to the public system in the future.

There has been an increase of almost 1,200 nurses employed in the public health service (34,336 to 35,534) from September 2014 to September 2016, numbers having fallen by almost 4,600 from 2007 to 2014. The total budget for the health service in 2017 is €14.6 billion, the highest budget ever allocated to the health service and this will allow for the recruitment of additional nursing staff to meet service needs. Given recognised difficulties in filling psychiatric nursing vacancies, an additional 60 undergraduate places have been put in place this autumn with a further 70 additional places to be provided next year.

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