The HSE intends to recruit an additional 1,000 nurses and midwives to support service delivery. The number of Nurses and Midwives employed in the public health system has increased by over 1,160 in the past two years, having fallen by almost 4,600 in the period between September 2007 and August 2014. Given the increasing and aging population it is essential that nursing and midwifery numbers continue to grow as the increasing budget allows.
The increased funding being made available in the Estimate will enable the HSE to continue to focus on recruiting graduating nurses and retaining the nurses currently in the system. This latter aim will be supported by the decision to restore incremental credit to all nursing and midwifery graduates.
The HSE is already offering permanent posts to 2016 degree programme graduates, offering full time permanent contracts to those in temporary posts and is also focused on converting agency staffing to permanent posts. The HSE will allocate the 1,000 additional nursing places on completion of the HSE National Service Plan 2017. The precise breakdown between agency conversion, recruitment to fill posts falling vacant and those that are currently vacant will be reflected in the Plan.
