Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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292. To ask the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to retain Irish nursing graduates in view of recent reports that almost two thirds of accident and emergency nursing posts remain available two months after they were first advertised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18613/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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During recent engagement between this Department, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the HSE, INMO and SIPTU nursing, management supplied a joint proposal document setting out a number of specific measures to attract nursing graduates and to retain nursing staff. This was done in the context of HSE management having developed a fully funded workforce plan for an additional 1,208 nursing/midwifery posts in 2017. The proposal includes permanent contracts for future graduates with scope for a career break and extensive education and personal development opportunities for nurses and midwives to upskill. The management side is also positively disposed to a proposal from the union side for the restoration of a number of allowances for new entrant nurses and this consideration will be concluded in the upcoming pay talks in the summer.

The above is in addition to the many other initiatives currently underway to improve nursing and midwifery staffing levels throughout the country.  The number of nursing and midwifery staff increased by 1,693 whole time equivalents between February 2014 and February 2017, notwithstanding intense global competition for our nurses and midwives. The HSE has offered permanent posts to 2016 degree programme graduates. The HSE is also offering full time permanent contracts to those in temporary posts and is also focused on converting posts filled by agency staffing to permanent posts. Its National Recruitment Service is actively operating rolling nursing recruitment campaigns. The Executive ran a further recruitment open day last week, following that held over the Christmas period, and attended a Health Sector Jobs Fair in London on 8th April.

A number of specific measures have also been taken in relation to pay that will support the recruitment and retention of Irish nursing 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. In October 2016 the Government approved restoration of incremental credit for all nurses in respect of the 36 week clinical placement undertaken by fourth year student nurses in the context of the 2017 Estimates.

The measures that were proposed by management and agreed with the INMO and SIPTU Nursing will significantly improve the staffing of nursing and midwifery posts in the public health service and offer serving and new nurses and midwives enhanced opportunities to advance their careers.