MLA doubts target of 622 new nurses by March will be met
A TARGET to recruit over 600 new nurses from overseas is on track to be achieved in the coming months, Stormont’s Health Minister has claimed.
Robin Swann sought to provide assurances that international nursing recruitment goals will be fulfilled after concerns were raised that just over half of the planned 622 new recruits are currently in post in hospitals across Northern Ireland.
The adult nursing vacancies within the five Health and Social Care Trusts are supposed to be filled by the end of March 2020.
Responding to an Assembly question from his party colleague Alan Chambers, Mr Swann appeared optimistic that the target will be achieved.
“Recent numbers have been increasing, and current trends indicate that the target of 622 will be reached — and perhaps exceeded — within the coming months,” he stated.
Some 420 new registered adult nurses have been recruited from EU and non-EU countries since the scheme began in January 2016.
Of these, 374 remain in post, with 33 resignations and 13 terminations recorded.
Mr Chambers expressed concern over the figures and said it appears unrealistic that the target will be met in the next six weeks.
“They’ve been recruiting for the last four years and the target was to reach 622 by March 2020. That would be a tall order,” he told the Belfast Telegraph.
The Assembly Member for North Down said he plans to press the minister on the matter further over the coming weeks, as he believes Mr Swann’s response has created further ambiguity over whether nursing vacancies will be filled.
“It hasn’t answered all my questions, in fact it has posed a few more. I hope to be able to follow it up in the coming weeks to put more meat on the bones of these figures,” he said. Mr Chambers said nursing staff levels are a contributing factor to current waiting lists and the general concern felt about our health service as a whole.
“The whole NHS is a worry in terms of waiting lists and GPs, it’s a major worry,” he added.
The MLA believes tough decisions lie ahead for the Assembly and Executive as ministers move to implement the recommendations of the 2016 Bengoa Report.
The overseas recruitment figures come off the back of unprecedented strike action among nurses over their frustration at the lack of pay parity with the rest of the UK, and the need to meet safe staffing levels.
The Royal College of Nursing union is currently consulting members over whether they agree with the proposed framework offered by the department.
Mr Swann last week said he would require a further £661m to maintain health service provisions next year, £170m of which would be to meet commitments on safe staffing levels and pay parity with Britain.
Department of Health officials are pursuing options for future international recruitment exercises to complement the increase in pre-registration nursing and midwifery places outlined in the deal to restore power-sharing at Stormont, the New Decade, New Approach agreement.
Mr Swann also expressed a commitment to promote the health sector as an employer of choice, and said a number of actions are being progressed under the health and social care Workforce Strategy.