Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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233. To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which it is expected to ensure the retention of nursing, medical and consultant staff is sufficient to meet the demand nationwide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28595/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Retaining and increasing the number of nursing, medical and consultant staff in the public health service is a key priority for me and my Department. It is a significant challenge given a backdrop of global shortages in health professionals and international competition for medical staff trained in Ireland. Where vacancies arise, the HSE utilises a range of measures, including agency, locum and other-short term arrangements to support service delivery.

Considerable progress has been made in growing the nursing and medical workforce in recent years as the economy has improved and more resources have become available.

Increasing nursing and midwifery numbers has been a key priority for the past 18 months. The 2017 funded workforce plan, as part of the Nursing Recruitment and Retention Agreement, committed the HSE to recruiting 1,224 additional nurses and midwives. The final report setting out progress on implementation of the Agreement shows that there has been a significant growth in the appointment of nurses and midwives with 942 WTE of the 1,224 posts filled (WTE’s). The HSE remain committed to the Agreement and efforts are underway to develop the 2018 nursing workforce plan. It has once again committed to offer all 2018 graduating student nurses and midwives permanent contracts within a Hospital Group or CHO, subject to their attaining registration and satisfactory performance. Nursing numbers have increased by 2,638 in the five years to end April 2018.

With regard to consultants, numbers have increased by 101 in the 12 months to end April 2018 and by 456 in the five years to end April 2018. The number of Non Consultant Hospital Doctors has also increased, by 284 in the 12 months to end April 2018, and by 1,368 in the five years to end April 2018. The HSE has been focussed on addressing issues associated with the creation and approval of consultant posts and successful recruitment. It is now implementing the report 'Towards Successful Consultant Recruitment, Appointment and Retention', completed in December 2016. It is also focussed on implementing the recommendations of the 'MacCraith Group' to support the recruitment and retention of consultants and NCHDs

Following on from its first report, in which it identified recruitment and retention problems in specialist groups in the health sector that are internationally in demand, the Pay Commission is currently giving consideration to a number of groups including nurses and consultants and is expected to report by the end of July. While there are many challenges I am satisfied that we will be able to recruit and retain sufficient numbers of nursing, medical and consultant staff to meet demand.