asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to recent remarks of the Chairman of An Bord Altranais that the nursing profession faced a difficult situation which might precipitate a major hospital crisis because of the widening gulf between the character of training here and in Britain; and what steps are being taken to avoid a crisis in the hospital service owing to a shortage in trained nurses.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Training of Nurses.
14.
I have seen the newspaper report of the remarks of the President of An Bord Altranais to which the Deputy refers. I understand that his concern was occasioned by the fact that for the first time the General Nursing Council for England and Wales refused to register an Irish-trained nurse on the grounds that only hospitals having a bed complement of 300 beds with an average daily occupancy of 240 are approved by the Council as training schools for nurses and that the training of the nurse in question did not meet this requirement.
The matter is primarily one for An Bord Altranais who have informed my Department that they have written to the General Nursing Council and will keep my Department informed of developments. I would prefer, therefore, to await the outcome of that correspondence before commenting any further.
May I take it that the Minister will not leave this whole thing to An Bord Altranais?
No.
Because if the reasons stated are the reasons, then it would appear to be incumbent on him as Minister to ensure that the Irish hospital service is so organised that the nurses will get the necessary training.
I entirely agree.
Will the Minister also take steps to see that in view of the apparent inadequacy of the training for Irish nurses, the practice which still operates in some places of charging fees of these training nurses will cease forthwith?
That is a different question, as the Deputy knows. I shall certainly take a personal interest in developments in regard to this matter.
I hope so.