The most recent Health Service Employers Agency report of nursing vacancies reported that recruitment was well ahead of resignations and retirements. Employers reported that 794 vacancies existed at 30 September 2004. The vacancy rate now stands at 2.34%.
This could be considered to be a normal frictional rate given that there will always be some level of movement due to resignations, retirements and nurses availing of opportunities to change employment and location. The recruitment and retention of adequate numbers of nursing staff has been a concern of this Government for some time. A number of substantial measures have been introduced in recent years. The number of nursing training places has been increased by 70% since 1998. In excess of €85 million in revenue funding is being provided in 2005 for undergraduate nurse training. Nursing continues to be regarded as an attractive career. There were 8,300 CAO applications for 1,640 places in 2004.
My Department introduced a scheme of flexible working arrangements for nurses and midwives in February 2001. Under the scheme, individual nurses and midwives may apply to work between eight and 39 hours per week on a permanent, part-time basis. The promotional structure within nursing, including the introduction of a clinical career pathway, has been substantially improved on foot of the recommendations of the Commission on Nursing and the 1999 nurses' pay settlement. I am confident that the extensive range of measures outlined, including the substantial increase in training places, the recruitment of overseas nurses, the more effective utilisation of the professional skills of nurses and midwives in addition to close monitoring and assessment of the situation on an ongoing basis, will continue to prove effective in addressing the nursing workforce needs of the health services.
The lack of graduates will manifest itself towards the end of 2005. My Department is also in discussions with the interim health service executive on this matter. As there will be a cohort of graduates available by early autumn 2006, the problem has a relatively short life span. A working group representing health service employers and officials from my Department was established last April to examine the issue and provide advice to employers on addressing potential shortfalls. Workforce planners in each health board are liaising with directors of nursing and human resource managers to ensure that sufficient staffing resources are available during late 2005 to autumn 2006.
