2,000 vacant nursing posts ‘unsustainable’
A SHORTAGE of nurses and midwives means pressure on Northern Ireland’s health service could become unsustainable this winter, a union has warned.
There were 2,039 nursing and midwifery vacancies here at the end of June — a figure that could grow before the end of the year. Brian Morton of the Royal College of Nursing warned that “the pressures in the system heading into the winter months are increasingly unsustainable”.
The SDLP’S Colin Mcgrath said the shortage, pandemic and long waiting lists had created a situation “almost like a perfect storm”.
A NURSING union has warned of unsustainable pressures on the health service heading into the winter, as Northern Ireland is short of over 2,000 nurses and midwives.
There were 2,039 nursing and midwifery vacancies in Northern Ireland’s health and social care (HSC) workforce up to the end of June, according to the latest figures from the Department of Health.
According to the Royal College of Nursing, there are an estimated 50,000 registered nursing vacancies in the NHS.
The union says this figure could rise even further during 2020.
Brian Morton, RCN Northern Ireland associate director, told the Belfast Telegraph: “With around 2,000 unfilled nursing posts in the health and social care service, the pressures in the system heading into the winter months are increasingly unsustainable. Earlier this year, and following industrial action by RCN members and members of other unions, the Northern Ireland Executive published a safe nurse staffing framework.
“When fully implemented, the framework will help significantly to address nursing shortages but this will take time.
“It is essential, meanwhile, that we support the recruitment and retention of nursing staff by making sure that they are paid fairly and recognised for their outstanding contribution to the health and well-being of the people of Northern Ireland.”
SDLP health spokesman Colin Mcgrath says workforce planning is “in dire need” of being addressed.
“One of the major side effects of a workforce shortage is the additional pressures that it puts on the current staff, who are having to bridge the gap by working extra shifts to make up for missing team members,” the South Down MLA said.
“With the added demands on the current system with Covid-19 and long waiting lists, it’s almost like a perfect storm.
“Addressing this in the middle of a pandemic is not easy but it’s certainly something I’d like to think the Department of Health is giving major consideration.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Health Minister Robin Swann said: “The Department is taking a range of actions to reduce vacancies, both in the short term, for example, international nursing recruitment, and in the longer term, including implementation of the Workforce Strategy which was published in May 2018, increased training commissioning, and efforts to ensure that the HSC is an employer of choice.
“The Minister has secured funding to deliver an additional 300 nursing and midwifery undergraduate places in Northern Ireland this year, bringing the total to a new all-time high of 1,325. It is clear, however, that there are no quick fixes, and sustainable, multi-year funding is required, together with service transformation.”
Last month, a report by the Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) said £115m is spent every year on temporary staff to cover nursing shortages here.
In some cases, up to £1,700 was paid to cover a single shift.
Spending on temporary staff has increased by almost 700% in a 12-year period, the NIAO found.