Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 July 2015
23. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Health the action his Department will take to address the shortage of nurses in the nursing home sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27576/15]
View answerI wish to thank Deputy Moynihan for the question raised.
The background to this issue is the current high level of nurse recruitment activity that includes the recruitment of nurses who trained in a country outside of Ireland. These positive recruitment initiatives, to attract nurses back into our Irish health system, are generating an increasing volume of nurse registration applications that is directly connected to the delays in the nurse registration process along with the requirement for clinical adaptation places.
Nurses who trained in a country outside of Ireland and wish to work in Ireland are required to apply to register as a nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). In assessing an applicant for registration, to protect the public, the NMBI seeks evidence from applicants of comparable standards of education and practice. According to the NMBI the timeframe for the completion of the assessment of qualifications for registration takes up to a maximum of 90 days provided all of the necessary documentation has been supplied by the applicant.
The main difficulty to expediting timely applications as reported by the NMBI is that of delay/failure by the applicant or third parties to furnish the necessary documentation required to assess eligibility for registration, coupled with the overall volume. It is important to note that the NMBI are dealing with very significant volumes of applications at present. The NMBI are processing all applications as quickly as possible, while ensuring appropriate procedures and checks which are designed around the protection of the public.
The NMBI, following assessment of qualifications by an applicant, may require an applicant nurse or midwife to undertake a period of adaptation and assessment, which if required, must be successfully completed as a pre-requisite to registration. Clinical adaptation is a process of adjustment and assessment to support candidates who have not worked in the Irish health system previously. The NMBI require that adaptation takes place in an appropriate setting approved by the Board and within a certain timeframe. This clinical adaptation period may last between six and twelve weeks, with six being the minimum.
In 2014 the HSE facilitated 151 nurses, recruited through Nursing Homes Ireland to complete a period of adaptation. Currently there are 58 candidates undergoing assessment with a further 126 candidates due for assessment up to the final programme in August 2015. There are however additional requests for clinical adaptation programmes outside of the current provision.
A collaborative group including the Department of Health, HSE, NMBI and Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI) representatives have met to explore solutions to facilitate adaptation and registration delays. Proposals were agreed which will now be implemented and should result in an improvement in the difficulties currently being experienced. The Deputy may also wish to note that the NMBI have been allocated additional resources to address the delays in registration.
