I wish to raise the reported shortage of nurses and the difficulty in staffing major teaching hospitals and particularly psychiatric hospitals. I ask the Minister to outline the facts, the reasons the situation has developed and the implications for medical and hospital care to patients in the coming weeks and months. What difficulty is there in filling vacancies? What planning has been done to deal with the situation if, as has been reported, it is the change in training which has caused the problem?
I understand there was an agreement that the vacancies created by the student nurses moving onto a new form of training would be filled by staff nurses. I wonder if this has happened. Obviously, student nurses were available in the past for teaching hospitals but, because of the change to college based training, these students are no longer available. From this September, no traditional training will take place. As it is clear the consequences of the change in training are dramatic, perhaps the value of students' services to hospitals in the past is only now being appreciated.
Hospitals have advertised abroad with little success. Clearly, we do not want to overreact to this new situation. Otherwise, both patients and relatives will become stressed. However, with winter approaching and likely increased bed occupancy, and with the changing needs of seriously ill patients in our hospitals, this situation needs urgent attention. A national study of the nursing needs of hospitals must be immediately initiated by the Minister.
A major hospital in my constituency told me today it is barely maintaining its nursing requirements on a day to day basis. How much more difficult is the situation in areas with smaller populations and, perhaps, less attractive working conditions?
It is quite clear the issues which were dealt with last year — the recognition of courses and the need for promotion — are equally critical in tackling this problem. I welcome the Commission on Nursing's interim report and look forward to its full set of recommendations. The vast majority of nurses are women. It is worth noting they have not got the rewards and recognition over the years which they deserved.
The fact that bullying of nurses in the workplace was one of the main topics raised with the commission is deeply disturbing. It appears from the report and the submissions to the commission that bullying may be taking place at a variety of levels in nursing. Clearly, this issue must be dealt with if we are to make progress in this area and if young women and men are to be attracted to nursing.
The report states:
Complaints were made of students being bullied by nurses, nurses being bullied by other nurses and professionals, nurses being bullied by nurse management and nurse management being bullied by general management. Nurses also reported being subjected to verbal and even physical abuse from patients.
If this is an accurate report it is devastating in its implications and needs immediate attention and analysis in the workplaces concerned.
Nurses and the quality of care which patients receive have been recognised as a vital part of our health service for many years. Perhaps care staff need to be further developed and supported as a profession in hospitals, with priority being given to releasing nursing staff who are caught up in paperwork and excessive administration.
Perhaps, we need to consider developing a prenursing grade of cadet nurses in each hospital and health board area. A cadet nurse grade would be a transition year for those considering entering the profession and is already in use in some of the smaller hospitals.
I look forward to hearing the Minister of State's views on this reported situation and the remedies which may need to be put in place to deal with it in the coming weeks and months.
