Call for those with nursing qualifications no longer in the profession to consider a return to work.
The chronic shortage of nurses in hospitals means that nursing administrators spend their days trying to find beds or filling in the gaps in nursing rosters.
John McDonald of Ace nursing care agency believes middle aged people with nursing qualifications can be part of the solution.
We hope to attract them back into the profession.
The continuing recruitment and training of young people in nursing is also a priority. For some this job is not just about the salary. As Fiona McEvoy tells RTÉ News,
If you want to do it, just go for it.
Pauline McEvoy who is a nursing sister in Beaumont Hospital went back to work when her children were at school. At the moment there are advantages for nurses who return to the workforce.
There is a lot of potential there for people to work whatever hours they like.
Psychiatric nursing is one area however which always has a staffing crisis. Seamus Murphy from the Psychiatric Nurses’ Association describes recent recruitment into this area as,
An unmitigated disaster.
The immediate crisis in the health service is a lack of beds, but even if wards were re-opened tomorrow, there would not be enough nurses to staff them.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 16 January 1999. The reporter is Niall Martin.
