David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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591. To ask the Minister for Health the net additional cost to fully implement the safe staffing framework. [28684/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The Framework for Safe Nurse Staffing and Skill Mix is a flexible, evidence-based approach to determine nurse staffing and skill mix requirements across various care settings and is based on patient need. National implementation of Phases 1 and 2 of the Framework is a priority for the Minster for Health and has received significant Government funding since 2020 to progress baseline implementation.

A key provision of the Framework is that it accounts for system and staff changes in both complexity and capacity through ongoing assessment of wards and emergency departments at regular intervals. This ensures that staffing requirements continue to meet the needs of patients. The reassessment undertaken by the HSE in 2024 indicates a further €16,211,476 will be required to fully implement Phase 1 and 2 of the Framework. The nursing and midwifery workforce is critical to the delivery of safe effective patient care and central to this approach is the ability to determine the optimum nurse staffing requirements and balance it with the the effectiveness and impact on patient care. The Framework provides the mechanism to do this and will inform future funding requirements.