Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 17 Oct 2000

Vol. 524 No. 2

Written Answers. - Nursing Staff.

Pádraic McCormack

Question:

267 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the shortage of nursing staff at St. Anne's Nursing Unit, Clifden, County Galway, where beds have to be left empty despite a long waiting list due to the fact it is five nurses short of the full complement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21965/00]

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Dr. Moffatt):

The recruitment of staff is a matter for the management of each health board authority. The Western Health Board has advised that in respect of staff nurse vacancies in St. Anne's Community nursing unit, Clifden, County Galway that two recruitment competitions were recently advertised. Unfortunately, the competitions did not provide suitable candidates.

With our vibrant economy the issue of recruiting staff has become an important one for both the public and private sectors. My Department on a national basis has and continues to promote arrangements to recruit and retain nurses within the public health service. These arrangements include better starting pay to nurses taking up employment through recognition of previous experience at home and abroad, standardised overtime arrangements, improved allowances, significant improvements to the promotional structure within nursing, the introduction of permanent part time working, expanded number of back to nursing courses and post-registration programmes, increased nurse training places, and an increase in the annual maintenance grant for nursing students.

My Department is also engaged in the long-term strategic planning of future nursing and midwifery work force needs and an interim report has recently been completed. The Department in collaboration with the Health Research Board has commissioned a national study examining the turnover in nursing and midwifery with the intention of estimating the turnover rate and identifying the underlying reasons for it. Agreement has also been reached between the relevant Government Departments on a fast track procedure for clearances and work permits for non-EU nurses. An agreed priority plan has also been agreed with the nursing alliance of trade unions to examine the development of appropriate systems to determine nursing staffing levels and the opportunities for increased use of care assistants and other non-nursing staff.