Olivia Mitchell
Question:1202 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of nursing and midwife vacancies at each hospital from 1 January 2002 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17228/02]
Written Answers. - Hospital Vacancies.
The Health Service Employers Agency, HSEA, undertook a survey of nursing vacancies at 30 April 2002. A copy of this survey will be forwarded directly to the Deputy.
The main points of the survey are:
(1) There were 2,280 extra nurses employed in the Health Service in the year ending 30 April 2002.
(2) 1,722 nurses were recruited abroad in the year ending 30 April 2002.
(3) In addition, 384 nurses work every day in the hospitals as agency nurses.
(4) Health boards have increased their nurse staffing by 1,408 in the year, voluntary hospitals have recruited 664 additional nurses and the learning disability sector has boosted its staffing by 208 in the year.
While all sectors reported recruitment was well ahead of resignations and retirements, employers reported that 1,047 vacancies existed at 30 April 2002. These circumstances arise where the volume of additional nursing posts being created outstrips capacity to recruit. The combination of utilising agency nurses and overtime working provides the equivalent of around 1,200 full-time nurses to the service to compensate for shortages while employers continue the recruitment process to fill vacancies.
The ongoing recruitment of nurses from abroad is also impacting positively on the vacancy situation. A total of 3,148 working visas-work authorisations were issued to nurses from non-EU countries between June 2000 and April 2002. Overall, an additional 5,800 nurses have been recruited to the public health service since 1998, which represents a 19% increase. The HSEA is currently undertaking a national survey of nursing vacancies at 30 September 2002. A copy of this survey will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it becomes available.
Olivia Mitchell
Question:1203 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of vacant NCHD posts at each hospital from 1 July 2002 to date in 2002; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17229/02]
The information requested by the Deputy is not normally compiled within my Department. A report has been requested from the Health Service Employers Agency, which periodically monitors NCHD vacancies, and I will write to the Deputy in this regard as soon as possible.