Following a claim taken by the INMO on behalf of five Agency Nurses, the Labour Court has determined that location and specialist qualification allowances come within the definition of basic pay.  This means that from the 16th June 2015 agency nurses and midwives may benefit from either the specialist qualification allowance or location allowance where they meet the relevant criteria. 

 

The specialist qualification allowance is payable to nurses/midwives employed directly on duties in specialist areas where they possess the relevant clinical qualification appropriate to the specialist area in which they are employed.  The location allowance is payable to nurses/midwives employed on duties in designated locations, for example, A&E Departments, Theatre/O.R., Intensive Care Units, etc.   A full list of the areas in which the location and specialist qualification allowances are payable is available from the INMO website and Information Office.