The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has called on the Health Service Executive to offer to graduate nurses and midwives permanent jobs in the HSE West and North-West Region.
As of September 14th, just one week before the University of Galway graduation, hardly any graduating nurses or midwives have been offered jobs within the HSE West and North-West Region despite high levels of vacancies that are impacting on the delivery of safe care.
It is completely unacceptable that nurses and midwives who are about to begin their careers are being left in limbo like this. Irish nursing and midwifery graduates are in extremely high demand, with nursing services in the UK and Australia offering them jobs as early as the spring of their final year. It beggars belief that, one week out from graduation, these young professionals are being left in the dark about their employment prospects.
We know there is particular pressure on services in the West, particularly in midwifery, and yet jobs are not being offered to graduate midwives who want to work in University Hospital Galway which has currently 23 vacant midwifery posts. If these vacancies are not filled it will lead to a curtailment of community midwifery services for women in Galway.
We know that the West and North-West Region has been singled out for poor financial controls. However, early career nurses and midwives should not be victims of bad financial planning on the HSE’s part. They should now be offered jobs immediately so as to minimise clinical risks in frontline services.