HSE ramping up its efforts to employ extra nurses

ALMOST 2,000 nurses were interviewed for positions across the health services over the past ten weeks.

But about 5,000 nurses would have to be recruited to bring the numbers up to 2008 levels.

The figures were released by the Department of Health as the HSE prepares to embark on a recruitment campaign in Britain to try to persuade Irish nurses to return home to work.

Despite ongoing recruitment campaigns up to 900 nurses will retire this year. Health chiefs have agreed to provide 540 nursing posts in seven hospitals alone to try and deal with ongoing overcrowding including Galway, Limerick, Drogheda, Beaumont, Naas and Mullingar.

The recruitment drive in the UK is to begin next month but the number of nurses being sought or the perks being offered has yet to be confirmed.

A spokesman for Health Minister Leo Varadkar said: ‘There are net 493 more nurses in place since the start of the year when the recruitment moratorium was lifted and the number of midwives has increased by almost 100 in the last 12 months.’

The spokesman added: ‘In the last year the HSE has been recruiting for specialist nurses from mainland Europe, the Philippines and India. Many voluntary hospitals have been recruiting from India in particular.

‘A total of 1,986 nurses were interviewed in the last 10 weeks, both at regional and national level, and 906 of these have started or are currently being appointed. Some 251 posts are the subject of recruitment campaigns.’