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RollingNews.ie

Crisis averted? 1,200 nurses and midwives to be hired by end of year

Health Minister Simon Harris has said that the measures offer nurses and midwives “enhanced opportunities to advance their careers”.

THE GOVERNMENT HAS come to an agreement with nurses and midwives over one of the main issues of contention that has threatened industrial action.

That’s the issue of staffing and retention. Tonight, both the Department of Health and the  Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) announced they had come to an agreement on what to change this year that would see improvements in the system.

Those agreements are:

  • Increasing the nursing and midwifery workforce by over 1,200, to over 37,000 before the end of this year
  • A funded workforce plan to be subject to quarterly reviews under Ministerial order
  • The offering of permanent posts to all nurses/midwives, currently on panels, and all nurse/midwife graduates from 2016/2017
  • Increased incentives to attract Irish nurses/midwives back from overseas particularly the UK
  • Miscellaneous other measures including: more flexible permanent contracts; a pre-retirement scheme; and increased numbers of undergraduate and postgraduate places for nurses and midwives
  • The restoration of allowances, removed from new entrants, as part of the forthcoming public service pay talks
  • Restoration of the time plus one-sixth premium payment, for nurses working in older person/ID services, following determination by an independent chair.

Health Minister Simon Harris said:

“I am delighted that the INMO nurses and midwives have voted to accept the recent proposals agreed at the WRC. The measures… will… offer serving and new nurses and midwives enhanced opportunities to advance their careers.”

However, there are still issues to be resolved over pay, the IMNO warned.

Harris said he was looking forward to positive engagement with the INMO during public sector pay talks that due to commence this summer.

Read: ‘If this many people were dying in another way, there’d be war over it’

Read: Over 600 patients are waiting for hospital beds around the country

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    Mute Alan Kennedy
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    Jul 15th 2023, 7:14 AM

    Personally anyone who constantly posts their every move and keep checking to see how many likes they get, must be very low on self esteem. Plus the fact that they’re telling all in sundry that their home is vacant.

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    Mute Paul Cunningham
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    Jul 15th 2023, 8:53 AM

    Relevant timing since Europe is in a heatwave but Ireland is having its most miserable July for a few years.

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    Mute Go on Leo, go ahead and try enforced payment durin
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    Jul 15th 2023, 11:16 AM

    @Paul Cunningham: in between a record June and a heatwave predicted… forget that? On the subject, social media has done untold damage to society. Any potential positives in terms of social engagement are by far outdone by the negatives of this type of constant comparison anxiety and of course directly negative commentary. Then you think of the distraction it causes, and the impact of that on kids who aren’t getting the attention they need because parents need to maintain the image. It’s one big ‘look at me’ fest and extremely unhealthy.

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    Mute Laura H
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    Jul 15th 2023, 4:15 PM

    I watched a film last night on channel 4 – I am Ruth – mainly focused on her daughter and her obsession with social media, her need for self affirmation through ‘likes’ on her posts, the negative effects mentally it took on her when she was trolled, the ripple effect all of this had on her family – I thought the end was very powerful, the girl struggled but she destroyed her phone, an effort to take back control of her life.

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    Mute IMHO
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    Jul 15th 2023, 10:11 PM

    Christmas is another online anxiety-fest. It usually starts with the first tree going up in September as the family ‘make memories ‘ in matching reindeer jumpers.

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