One of the State's largest maternity hospitals has begun renting private houses in Dublin to provide accommodation for new nursing recruits.
The new departure by the National Maternity Hospital at Holles Street is an attempt to attract midwives in particular, who are proving difficult to recruit.
The hospital matron, Ms Maeve Dwyer, said the hospital recognised rented accommodation could be difficult to find in Dublin and decided to find the accommodation for new staff itself.
It has already rented a five-bedroom house in Monkstown, close to the DART, and will rent further homes for a number of Scottish midwives who will begin working at the hospital in January. "We ensure the houses are ready to live in with everything the occupants need, including duvets and towels," she said.
Holles Street closed two wards due to staff shortages, but hopes to reopen one of these in January when 14 midwives arrive from Scotland.
Ms Dwyer said nurse and midwife shortages had also necessitated the cancellation of elective gynaecology procedures eight weeks ago, but they resumed on October 30th.
Ms Anne Carrigy, director of nursing at the Mater Hospital, Dublin, said she had 50 nursing vacancies.
These vacancies are covered by agency nurses and the hospital's own preregistered nurses, who should have their registration complete by January. This will help ease the situation.
"There seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. However, we would be foolish to think we have solved the problem. We need to have a long-term strategy, which the Dublin academic teaching hospitals are currently working on," she said.
Mr John Lindsay, CEO at Peamount Hospital, Newcastle, Co Dublin, which specialises in the care of the young chronic disabled, the mentally handicapped and patients with chest problems, said it was almost impossible to recruit school-leavers as "cadettes" this year. Cadettes work closely with nurses, providing support for one year while deciding whether to pursue a nursing career.
He said the hospital was in discussions with the ERHA in an attempt to have the post of cadette upgraded to care attendant. Care attendants carry out all non-nursing duties in relation to the care of patients, and the hospital could recruit these without great difficulty, he said.
The Bon Secours Hospital in Galway city, formerly Galvia private hospital, said it did not have significant difficulty recruiting staff. Mr Gerry Burke, the CEO, said Galway was seen as an attractive location to live and work and was benefiting to some extent from the exodus of staff from Dublin hospitals.
The Mercy Hospital, Cork, this week placed advertisements for six medical laboratory technicians but said it did not have any difficulty recruiting them in the past.
Meanwhile, the Irish Blood Transfusion Service said last week that elective surgery had to be cancelled at a number of hospitals due to a blood shortage. It said operations were cancelled at Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar and Waterford Regional Hospital. However, when contacted yesterday spokeswomen for both hospitals said they did not have to cancel any operations.
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