Liam Doran, "Union had warned of the shortage for 18 months"
New figures from the Department of Health reveal that there are more than 1,100 vacancies for nurses in the health service, most of them are in the greater Dublin area. A survey conducted last November shows that more and more hospitals in the capital are using agency nurses and care assistants to fill the gaps. The General Secretary of the Irish Nurses' Organisation said that his union had been warning of the shortage for eighteen months.
Speaking on Morning Ireland, Liam Doran blamed the shortage on pay and cost of living levels, and on inflexible attitudes among employers. This survey, which was carried out by the Health Services Employers Agency, reveals that there were 1,180 reported vacancies for nurses in the autumn. Most of the vacancies were in the greater Dublin area. The Agency found that, whereas Dublin hospitals cannot fill jobs, down the country, the level of applicants for nursing posts advertised far exceeds the number of positions available.
The incidence of using nurses from contracted agencies to fill vacancies is also high in the capital, as is the dependence on overtime. According to the survey, an average of 418 agency nurses were contracted daily. In the Eastern Health board area, there were 413 vacancies, 137 of them in the Mental Health services. Amongst the privately run hospitals in Dublin, the Mater had 117 vacancies, Beaumont had 95, St Vincent's had 83 and St James's had 68. The HSEA adds that in some cases, care assistants are being used to cover nurses duties.
