asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of the growing shortage of nurses in Dublin and elsewhere leading to a reduction of bed capacity throughout the country; and what plans he has to meet this serious situation.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Shortage of Nurses.
4.
While some beds, particularly in the Dublin Health Authority hospitals, are out of commission because of difficulty in recruiting nursing staff, I do not accept the Deputy's suggestion that these difficulties have caused a reduction in bed capacity throughout the country or that this limited problem in the area of nurse recruitment should be classed as a serious situation.
I would remind the Deputy that in the general hospital nurse training schools the number of qualified and suitable girls seeking admission for training far exceeds the number of places available. This country is exceptional and most fortunate in that nursing as a vocation continues to have a strong attraction for girls graduating from our secondary schools. We have the additional advantage, compared with other countries, that those who are accepted as student nurses persevere with the course to the point of qualification with only a negligible number of retirals for health or other adequate reasons.
There is a high degree of mobility in the nursing profession—many Irish trained nurses spend periods working abroad not only in Great Britain but farther afield in the United States and Canada. On the other hand many girls who undertake their training in British hospitals tend to return to take up posts particularly in the health authority hospital service. About 60 per cent of the nurses working in the county hospital service have, in fact, been trained in Great Britain.
Both my Department and An Bord Altranais are giving close and continuous attention to this whole question of the provision of well trained and adequate numbers of nurses to staff our hospitals and public health services. I am hopeful that arrangements can be made to deal with the localised shortages which have emerged.
The Minister stated recently in this House that one complete ward comprising 45 beds in St. Kevin's Hospital was closed down because of shortage of nurses, that a ward in Cherry Orchard Hospital was closed because of shortage of nurses and that there was a shortage of nurses in St. Kevin's Hospital resulting in a further closing down of wards. The Minister has just stated that there is no reduction in the bed capacity.
I did not say anything of the kind. I said that there is no shortage of beds in the country as a whole.
The Minister's reply contradicted that.
There is a shortage of beds in the Dublin geriatric hospitals.
There is a shortage of paediatric beds also.
We intend to extend the training facilities for nurses in St. Kevin's Hospital. We are alive to the position.
Surely this is an emergency?
The Minister has been asked whether there is a shortage of nurses in the country. The bulk of the Minister's reply was taken up with girls in training. These are nurses. There is no point whatever in trying to draw a red herring across the situation.
Student nurses take part to a great extent in nursing.
They are not the same as trained nurses. Why did the Minister try to draw this red herring across the situation?
It is very valuable to have student nurses.
There is a difference between a student nurse and a trained nurse.
Does the Minister agree that the position in relation to the supply of nurses has been worsening rapidly during the last couple of years? Does the Minister consider it sufficient to tell the House that this matter is being kept under constant review by his Department and by An Bord Altranais? Is the Minister aware that An Bord Altranais have made a very poor contribution to this whole problem in the last couple of years and that no serious action has been taken by the Department of Health in relation to it?
I would not agree at all.
The fact that we have more training places in the country is no indication that we will have sufficient nurses in the future.
The Deputy is aware that there are schemes afoot which will bring about an increase in the number of nurses trained in the Dublin Health Authority area. I replied fully to the question. There is no good repeating everything I have said before. I said that An Bord Altranais is conducting a survey of the entire nurse/patient ratio arising in the whole country. Based on their report we will take whatever action is required. I need to have that survey. The Deputy may be entirely right in thinking that the survey should have been taken long ago. It is being taken now. We will be able to examine the position. I have had an absolutely complete division in the point of view about whether we should adopt a system of shorter training such as is in vogue in England and have another type of nurse enrolled here, or whether we should not follow this system. I have to make up my mind on this very serious change which has been suggested in some quarters and has been rejected in other quarters. It has been rejected above all by the Irish Nurses Organisation. When the full plans for the development of St. Kevin's Hospital come into operation they should result in more training facilities in the Dublin area as a whole. This should relieve the shortage of nurses in the geriatric hospitals.
(Interruptions.)