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The INMO points to the HSE’s recruitment “pause” as the key driver of unfilled posts. Leah Farrell

Over 1,300 nursing and midwifery posts in Irish hospitals are being left vacant

One in six midwifery posts are being left vacant.

THERE ARE OVER 1,300 vacant nursing and midwifery posts in Irish hospitals due to the HSE’s effective recruitment freeze, the INMO has said today.

Phil Ní Sheaghdha of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has said the figures demonstrate that the government is “refusing to fill frontline healthcare posts” and that patient care is being compromise as a result. 

Across staff nursing and midwifery in acute hospitals, 7% of funded posts are vacant, with 1,251 vacancies out of 17,623 posts.

Midwifery is being hardest hit with one in six (17%) funded staff midwife posts now vacant, with 284 vacancies in a workforce of 1,687.

The INMO says that care for the elderly and those with an intellectual disability is also being affected by 420 vacancies in community health services. 

The INMO points to the HSE’s recruitment controls as the key driver of unfilled posts.

The union met with the HSE on Friday evening to call for curtailment of services until staffing reaches safe levels.

“The figures are stark: the government are refusing to fill frontline healthcare posts,” Ní Sheaghdha said following that meeting.

Graduating nurses and midwives are considering their employment options as we speak. Yet despite repeated public promises from the Minister for Health that they would all have full-time permanent jobs upon graduation, the majority have not received offers or contracts.

The HSE has rejected the claim that a recruitment freeze is in place and told TheJournal.ie that “controls” were in place on recruitment.

Health Minister Simon Harris told the Dáil in May that he believed that the controls put in place by the HSE were “sensible”

Harris had also the controls would remain in place until the end of June but a HSE spokesperson has now said they will stay in place pending further budgetary assurances.

- With reporting by Sean Murray

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    Mute Nick Flavin
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    Nov 26th 2018, 5:31 PM

    could use the land to house members of the travelling community.
    im sure pat would have no problems with that.

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    Mute Dave Thomas
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    Nov 26th 2018, 5:36 PM

    @Nick Flavin: and they don’t do high rise caravans either.

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    Mute Jack O’Meara
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    Nov 26th 2018, 6:05 PM

    @Nick Flavin: a group of travellers or a Direct Provision Centre would enhance the rich tapestry of ethic diversion he so often talks about

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    Mute Geraldine Fenton
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    Nov 26th 2018, 6:58 PM

    @Jack O’Meara: no direct provision in patients jenny’s area

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    Mute Christy Dolan
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    Nov 27th 2018, 2:37 PM

    @Nick Flavin: Why would any sane property owner agree to that ?Would you object ? Be honest

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    Mute Anthony
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    Nov 26th 2018, 5:44 PM

    The elite prevail once again. I doubt the ordinary joe soap would have won this

    530
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    Mute Sean Conway
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    Nov 26th 2018, 7:19 PM

    @Anthony: Pat living in his ivory tower.

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    Mute Geraldine Fenton
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    Nov 26th 2018, 8:32 PM

    @Anthony: when you can afford a good legal team

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    Mute Vincent Byrne
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    Nov 27th 2018, 1:13 AM

    @Geraldine Fenton: Or a top planning consultant to ghost your letters.

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    Mute marg fitzgerald
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    Nov 26th 2018, 5:26 PM

    Could be developed as a centre for asylum seekers

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    Mute Michael Lynch
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    Nov 26th 2018, 5:22 PM

    High profile NIMBY.

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    Mute Mary SF Loony
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    Nov 26th 2018, 5:31 PM

    @Michael Lynch: NIMBY?

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    Mute John
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    Nov 26th 2018, 5:35 PM

    @Michael Lynch: Jealously can make you very bitter Michael.

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    Mute Genius 80s+
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    Nov 26th 2018, 5:42 PM

    @John: So can stupidity

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    Mute paul jones
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    Nov 26th 2018, 6:18 PM

    And Pat will be on the radio tomorrow talking about the housing crisis.

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    Mute Geraldine Fenton
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    Nov 26th 2018, 8:33 PM

    @paul jones: and sympathy for asylum seekers

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    Mute O Swetenham
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    Nov 26th 2018, 5:25 PM

    Yessss!!! Delighted for him. Nobody messes with the K-man and gets away with it.

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    Mute matthew o reilly
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    Nov 26th 2018, 6:23 PM

    Irish water should build a little office there because you wont hear pat say a bad word about them

    193
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    Mute Nick Hall
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    Nov 26th 2018, 5:55 PM

    Thankfully somebody is taking a stand against this mania of property development. Now at least some part of the towns surrounding Dublin will have a bit of breathing space. Tired of seeing what Luke Kelly called “New Glass Cages” springing up on every small green and street corner. Fair play Pat!

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    Mute marg fitzgerald
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    Nov 26th 2018, 9:13 PM

    @Nick Hall: Breathing space … behind security gates

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    Mute Lester Jeffcoat
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    Nov 26th 2018, 5:25 PM

    This is the worst thing to happen since the other bad thing like this thing that happened happened. Oh god, when will it end.

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    Mute Deborah Blacoe
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    Nov 26th 2018, 6:51 PM

    Judging by the comments here, a lot of people would like to see every scrap of available land in suburban Dublin being built upon in the highest possible density, regardless of suitability, regardless of design and regardless of consequences. This stance they attribute to the housing ‘crisis’ and homelessness. So, let’s just pay scant regard to the future and how our environment will look, just throw up boxes of houses wherever whenever. Yeah, that’ll do for now lads. Good job.

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    Mute matthew o reilly
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    Nov 26th 2018, 7:02 PM

    @Deborah Blacoe: no need to worry Deborah they only build in west Dublin

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    Mute Deborah Blacoe
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    Nov 26th 2018, 7:21 PM

    @matthew o reilly: not true.

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    Mute matthew o reilly
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    Nov 26th 2018, 7:25 PM

    @Deborah Blacoe: from tallaght to blanch is one big block & there’s another so called town clonburis being built between lucan & clondalkin.the lovely dalkey wont be touched

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    Mute Deborah Blacoe
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    Nov 26th 2018, 7:54 PM

    @matthew o reilly: lots of green belt land being built upon, not just in West Dublin.

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    Mute Deborah Blacoe
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    Nov 26th 2018, 8:01 PM

    @matthew o reilly: perhaps the real answer to the issue is moving some businesses and services away from the Capital? Goodness knows that the greater Dublin area is bursting at the seams. There has to be another way other than choking the city with more and more houses, cars, manufacturing industry and services industry. The bald fact is that space is this city is finite and in order to leave ‘breathing room’, there possibly has to be a move to thinking outside the box?

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Nov 27th 2018, 1:28 AM

    @Deborah Blacoe: Pat Kenny was always a mouth piece for the status quo. Agree with the reckless building that destroys our heritage, but when it suits the powers that be this is not a consideration. Kenny is and always was an overpaid puppet.

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    Mute Deborah Blacoe
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    Nov 27th 2018, 7:25 AM

    @Donal Desmond: There were quite a number of objections to this proposed development. It was not solely about Mr Kenny. Yes, living beside the site in question, he had the most to lose. However, given the high density of the proposed units, I think perhaps this development didn’t need a high profile objector for the plans to be rejected.

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    Mute Christy Dolan
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    Nov 27th 2018, 2:40 PM

    @Deborah Blacoe: Ignore them, they are peasants, council estate riff raff, what would they know

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    Mute Christy Dolan
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    Nov 27th 2018, 2:41 PM

    @matthew o reilly: Perhaps Dalkey of this world, being big tax payers, have a back bone and ability to gather together and fight for their area

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    Mute Ross Fehily
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    Nov 26th 2018, 5:28 PM

    Disgrace

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    Mute William Gorry
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    Nov 26th 2018, 8:51 PM

    Pat is too well off he wouldn’t know what in need is or like. Sure he contradicts himself when he talking about housing on radio, just like the way he suits who he has on his show call show.

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    Mute Christy Dolan
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    Nov 27th 2018, 2:42 PM

    @William Gorry: Oh don’t you worry, the tenants intended for those places were to be those in need or of a certain background

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    Mute alan doyle
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    Nov 27th 2018, 1:32 AM

    His neighbour adjoining the site on the far side also objected, has a media profile, and she wasn’t named in this article. And she is a vocal proponent of asylum rights. Funny that.

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    Mute Colm Lyons
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    Nov 26th 2018, 8:12 PM

    Pat the plank

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    Mute Ian Holmes
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    Nov 26th 2018, 5:31 PM

    Aaaaaaand here come the trolls ………..

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    Mute Quentin Moriarty
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    Nov 26th 2018, 5:34 PM

    @Ian Holmes: no builders no rolls

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    Mute FlopFlipU
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    Nov 26th 2018, 9:21 PM

    I would say that more than him objected but he is taken the slack

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    Mute Orla Cosgrave
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    Nov 26th 2018, 11:11 PM

    Delighted this had been refused but no doubt Bartra will appeal. There is no outcome yet regarding the appeal regarding the development at Bulloch Harbour. Bartra seemed determined to wreck Dalkey and it’s surrounds.

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    Mute Martello Mulligan
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    Nov 26th 2018, 9:41 PM

    Pat Kenny is an overpaid media bore. He is wealthy though not in the slimy business entrepreneur league of wealth. His “developer” neighbours who own (or owned the land – looks like they sold to Bartra) are equally wealthy and probably more so than Pat. His neighbours who joined in the objection/observations will not be wantin for a few bob either. Bartra seems to be a well funded aggressive developer – they had plans to destroy the nearby harbour turned down too. In other words all parties to this could be described as rich and powerful… or at least as rich and powerful as Pat Kenny. So to say that Kenny’s money or influence has determined the outcome of the planning decision is total nonsense.

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    Mute John Connolly
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    Nov 26th 2018, 11:00 PM

    Very interesting from Council: price depreciation is now a valid reason to object so travellers are now a valid reason to object because they not only bring down the tone but the value unless you live near all the presidential candidates and Dr Ciara Kelly who actually want them

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    Mute steve white
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    Nov 26th 2018, 8:09 PM

    obviously an over-development

    27
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    Mute Brendan Kernan
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    Nov 26th 2018, 10:27 PM

    Looks like the usual profit before people crowd and sinners are out tonight. Pat you need to invite them to newstalk and ask them would they object to same on their piece of turf. I certainly would object, if it was I.

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    Mute Patrick Brophy
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    Nov 27th 2018, 12:12 AM

    I posted this on Facebook and might as well post it here too. This whole talk about “seriously injurious to the setting, amenity and appreciation of neighbouring properties” comes off as though the site in question should also be treated as an extension of amenities to neighbouring residents.

    I would like to remind the residents of “neighbouring properties” that the only amenities they own are those WITHIN the confines of their walls. I had a look at the plans which weren’t bad looking. They were quite smart looking actually. It will be very rich (no pun intended) to hear the head objector complaining about the housing crisis in future NewsTalk broadcasts.

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    Mute Catherine Dowling
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    Nov 27th 2018, 9:27 AM

    In all fairness, I think anyone who would be able to afford to buy in that proposed development wouldn’t be in danger of becoming homeless anyway. I bet the 2 bed apartments would be going for about 750k

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    Mute jerry slattery
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    Nov 26th 2018, 8:08 PM

    Didn’t read the article but went straight to comment..clickbait is what’s it all about …headlines win but journalism is a sore loser

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    Mute yildun
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    Nov 27th 2018, 9:24 AM

    The Bias drips of the FFG Newstalk Presenter every time he opens his mouth

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    Mute P Block Loftus road
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    Nov 27th 2018, 12:21 PM

    Let all new asylum seekers live there, do the decent thing Pat, and give everyone else a break from that threat.

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    Mute Karllye kripton
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    Nov 27th 2018, 1:48 PM

    Pats nothing but a shitehawk like the rest of them in their ivory towers

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    Mute John Flood
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    Nov 26th 2018, 9:15 PM

    WGAF!

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