Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 20 Oct 1998

Vol. 495 No. 4

Written Answers. - Nursing Staff.

Brian O'Shea

Ceist:

216 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Health and Children the measures, if any, he will invoke in 1999 to ensure that as many young people as possible consider psychiatric nursing as a career option; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19906/98]

Brian O'Shea

Ceist:

217 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of students who accepted places in the School of Psychiatric Nursing in the North-Western, Mid-Western and South-Eastern Health Boards; the number of students from the mid west and north west who indicated the South-Eastern Health Board school as their second preference; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19907/98]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 216 and 217 together.

I am disappointed at the low level of uptake of places on the psychiatric nursing registration-diploma programme this year. Last January, when announcing details of the arrangements for this year's competitions I specifically referred to psychiatric nursing as a rewarding and worthwhile career, and to the substantial increase in the number of training places available in that discipline. The same message was conveyed by my Department to educational correspondents of the national newspapers and to schools guidance counsellors throughout the country, as part of a concerted recruitment drive.

Despite the efforts to raise the profile of psychiatric nursing, particularly among school leaving students, only 92 of the 201 places available on the psychiatric nursing registration diploma programme were filled this year.

In the light of this disappointing outcome, I believe that all of the relevant agencies need to redouble the efforts to attract more entrants to psychiatric nursing training. We have a declining school leaving population who have a greater range of third level courses to choose from than ever before. This is the environment in which we have to compete for student nurses.

As a first step, a seminar the issues in relation to the recruitment of students to psychiatric nursing and to make recommendations on future action will be held this Friday, 23 October 1998. All agencies involved in the provision of psychiatric nursing education and training will be represented at this seminar, which is being organised by my Department. An Bord Altranais has also been invited to send representatives.

My Department is engaged in separate discussions with An Bord Altranais in relation to the development of further promotional literature and video materials for use in an ongoing recruitment drive.

The number of training places available this year in the three schools of psychiatric nursing referred to by the Deputy and the actual number of places accepted by successful applicants is as follows:

School of Psychiatric Nursing	Number of Places	Number of Acceptances
MWHB	15	5
NWHB	15	6
SEHB	25	9
Total	55	20

I should mention that five of the applicants concerned were also applicants for general nursing training and that they subsequently accepted training places in schools of general nursing.

I have been informed by the Local Appointments Commission, which administered the application and selection processes for places on this year's general and psychiatric nursing registration-diploma programmes, that none of the 11 applicants who originally accepted places in the Mid-Western or North-Western Health Board schools of psychiatric nursing indicated a second preference for a place in the South-Eastern Health Board school of psychiatric nursing in their application forms.