asked the Minister for Health what the prospects are of bringing back into the nursing profession trained nurses who gave up practising when they were married.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Nursing Service.
46.
Mr. O'Malley
I take it that the Deputy is referring to the employment of nurses by health authorities.
It is an accepted principle in the public service that women taking up permanent appointments should be unmarried or widows. However, where sufficient permanent nursing staff is not obtainable, or where substitutes are required during leave periods, there is no objection to the employment of married women on a temporary basis.
I might mention that a large number of married nurses are employed in the hospitals under the control of Dublin Health Authority and that the authority is providing special refresher courses for them. I understand that at the moment married women also have good opportunities for employment in health authority hospitals in other areas.
47.
asked the Minister for Health if he will state (a) the average drop-out among nurses for each year since 1960 to 1966, (b) what conditions generally provoked this drop-out, (c) whether this drop-out was uniform for the country as a whole or higher in some hospitals than in others.
Mr. O'Malley
I assume that the question relates to student nurses who do not complete their training in general nursing.
The majority of places for training such nurses are in voluntary hospitals and the information requested is not readily available for these hospitals. In the local authority service, the main training centres are at St. Finbarr's Hospital in Cork, Galway Regional Hospital, Limerick Regional Hospital and Ardkeen Hospital in Waterford. For these centres the numbers who dropped out in each of the years 1960 to 1966 were: 1960, 9; 1961, 12; 1962, 4; 1963, 3; 1964, 10; 1965, 5; 1966, 12.
The main reason for students failing to complete their training was unsuitability for nursing or a preference for other occupations. Other reasons were marriage and health grounds. Since the total annual intake of students in these hospitals is about 140 resulting in a total undergoing training of over 400 at any one time, the numbers which I have quoted of those who drop out represent an insignificant proportion for any individual hospital. In fact the numbers who discontinued training in the four health authority hospitals concerned during 1966 were three, four, one and four.
48.
asked the Minister for Health (a) the total nursing strength of the country up to March, 1967, (b) the ratio of nurses to beds, and (c) if he considers this ratio an adequate one.
Mr. O'Malley
The total number of nurses employed in all local authority and voluntary hospitals, excluding psychiatric hospitals, in March last was 8,800 approximately.
Where the question of the desirable ratio of nurses to a hospital bed is concerned one must have regard not only to the category of institution but to the type of patient, the extent of the care he requires, the availability of auxiliary staff, the size of the ward unit, and various other considerations. Since so many complex factors are involved it would be impossible for me to suggest a standard ratio which would have any validity.
49.
asked the Minister for Health if the number of auxiliary personnel employed in hospitals is adequate; and if, in view of the concern expressed by the Irish Nurses Organisation that student nurses were undertaking too many non-nursing duties, he will issue a direction to all hospitals on this matter.
Mr. O'Malley
I agree that auxiliary personnel could with advantage be employed in many of our hospitals thereby enabling the nursing staff, including students, to devote more of their time to what are strictly nursing duties. My Department has recently been considering this matter and is completing arrangements for a pilot scheme in one of our county hospitals involving the recruitment of a number of specially selected girls to assist in this way. They will undergo training in the hospital wards for a period of a year and will wear a distinctive uniform. If, as I confidently expect, the scheme should prove successful I would propose to recommend its adoption by hospitals generally.