Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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663. To ask the Minister for Health if he will address staffing shortages in hospitals which are putting staff under immense pressure; his plans regarding this issue at hospitals in the north east health region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34961/17]

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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810. To ask the Minister for Health his views on the greatest barriers in recruiting nurses for rural hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35445/17]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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852. To ask the Minister for Health the specific actions he has taken in his Department to address the shortage of nurses across the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35577/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 663, 810 and 852 together.

In line with the Department’s Statement of Strategy, the Department of Health is working with the HSE and other cross-sectoral partners to develop a national strategic framework for health workforce planning which aims to support the recruitment and retention of the right mix of health workers across the Irish health service to meet planned and projected service need. During 2016, the Department of Health convened a cross-sectoral Steering Group to begin work on the development of this Framework.

Work on the draft framework is well advanced and a stakeholder consultation process on the draft commenced in June. It is anticipated that the finalised framework, and an associated high-level implementation plan, will be submitted to the Minister for Health in September 2017.

Recruitment of nurses and midwives is challenging in rural and urban areas at present due to a range of factors, including an international shortage and intense global competition. Under proposals formulated at the WRC between this Department, DPER, the HSE, the INMO and SIPTU in February and March this year it was agreed that management would increase the HSE’s National Workforce Plan for nurses and midwives in 2017 through a broad range of initiatives that will result in the delivery of 1,208 additional permanent posts. These initiatives include the conversion of agency employed staff into HSE direct employees and offering all graduating nurses and midwives full time contracts. Other key measures agreed to support recruitment and retention include maternity leave cover; a career break scheme; 130 additional undergraduate places in 2017; enhanced rates of pay for retirees who return to work and offering nurses and midwives improved educational opportunities and career pathways. Recruitment measures include careers days, HSE attendance at national and international recruitment fairs, and a communication from the National Director for HR to all Nursing and Midwifery Graduates.

There has been significant improvements in the numbers employed in the public health service in the past three years, including nursing in the Dublin North East Hospital Group. The overall number of nurses and midwives in the public health sector has increased from 34,492 (WTE's) in June 2014 to 36,467 in June 2017, while the number in the Dublin North East Hospital Group has increased from 7,837 to 8,395. Similarly, the number of consultants has increased nationally from 2,587 in June 2014 to 2,883 in June 2017, while the number of NCHDs has increased from 4,943 to 6,058.