An experienced ward sister in a major Dublin hospital resigned last month because the hospital refused to give her a job-sharing arrangement. The hospital's argument was that it was understaffed. Now it is short one ward sister, instead of being short half a ward sister. Does this make sense?
Not according to Ms Lenore Mrkwicka, deputy general secretary of the Irish Nurses' Organisation (INO), who believes family-friendly policies by hospitals would be the key to keeping nurses, and attracting back those who have left the profession. "The Health Service Employers' Agency (HSEA) is very slow to put in place these policies," she says. Job-sharing needs to be extended to nurses in management positions, she says.
There is a shortage of at least 1,000 nurses in Dublin alone. The INO has met the HSEA twice to discuss the need for greater flexibility in hours and in part-time, pensionable employment. The INO says the HSEA has responded only to the parttime employment request, and now any nurse working between eight and 39 hours a week is pensionable. Ms Mrkwicka says the HSEA has yet to take on board term-time working, reviews of jobs-sharing schemes and extended maternity and paternity leave.
Ms Mrkwicka says back-to-nursing courses need to be regionalised, so nurses on courses can return to family responsibilities each day. Courses also need to be fully financed on a pound for pound basis, with additional funding to pay nurses a salary to take the courses.
While the quota of young nurses in training is full, these nurses are now attending university courses where they may be tempted to switch to other courses within the university.
With so many Celtic Tiger jobs available, a salary scale starting at £15,000 for new nurses is not attractive enough, says Ms Mrkwicka.
email: hospitalwatch@irish- times.ie Hospital watch special on the web: http://www.ireland.com/special/ hospital.
