Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 30 Sep 1999

Vol. 508 No. 2

Written Answers. - Nursing Staff.

Brendan Smith

Ceist:

116 Mr. B. Smith asked the Minister for Health and Children the measures, if any, being taken to recruit more nurses for the health service, including qualified nurses who may wish to return to work; if the intake of trainee nurses will be increased; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18463/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

In previous years the recruitment and selection process for places on both the general and psychiatric nursing registration-diploma programmes was administered by the Nursing Applications Centre. An Bord Altranais has assumed responsibility for the overall management of the Nursing Applications Centre from this year onwards and has renamed it the Nursing Careers Centre in order to give it a broader focus in relation to nursing as a career generally. This transfer of responsibility is in accordance with the strengthened role of An Bord Altranais in the area of pre-registration nursing education and training recommended by the commission on nursing.

As part of the preparations for this year's competitions, An Bord Altranais, with my approval, amended its own rules to revise the minimum educational requirements for entry to nursing training.

Broadly speaking, the requirements have been brought into line with those of the third level institutions. The effect of this rule change is to expand the range of leaving certificate subjects that may be presented by an applicant for admission to the nursing diploma programmes. In particular, it removes the requirement for a foreign language in the case of the non-NUI third level institutions involved in the operation of the programmes. A decision was subsequently taken by the NUI to drop the requirement for a foreign language for entry to the programmes. These changes introduce greater flexibility in the entry criteria for nursing training, without reducing standards, and will increase the pool of school leavers and others who will be eligible for places on the nursing diploma programmes.

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the changes outlined above, together with the national and local recruitment campaigns which I funded, have resulted in a highly successful outcome to this year's competitions for training places on the nursing diploma programmes. A total of 1,217 training places have been filled: 819 in general nursing, 242 in psychiatric nursing and 156 in mental handicap nursing. This is the largest number of direct entrants to nurse training for several years and proves that there continues to be considerable interest among young people and others in nursing as a career.

As mentioned previously, I provided funding of almost £400,000 for the recruitment campaigns and I regard it as money well spent. I am especially pleased that the promotional campaigns have raised the profile of both psychiatric and mental handicap nursing. This year we succeeded in filling a record 242 training places in psychiatric nursing compared with only 92 places last year, and a record 156 places in mental handicap nursing compared with 117 in 1998. I also made available funding for some 100 extra training places in general and psychiatric nursing this year and these have been offered to applicants who successfully came through the competition.

The recruitment of nurses is primarily a matter for individual employers who take their own initiatives in this regard. I am aware, however, that the availability of return to working courses for qualified nurses who have been out of the workforce for a number of years is being reviewed with a view to maximising uptake. In addition, improvements have been made to the incremental credit arrangements for both permanent and temporary nurses. These have the effect that nurses can now have all previous genuine nursing experience recognised on appointment whether temporary or permanent.