Management at UHG and Merlin Park hospitals plan to spearhead an international recruitment drive for nurses.
Eighty nurses were hired so far this year in GUH (UHG and Merlin Park Hospitals ). Some 77 of these were temporary hires while three were permanent.
A total of 206 nurses were hired last year - 109 were temporary while 97 were permanent positions. The 109 temporary hires included 67 student hires - 59 of which are being processed for permanent contracts.
Ann Cosgrove, the chief operating officer of the Saolta University Health Care Group, told a meeting of the HSE West’s regional health forum this week, that the group was “looking at doing another recruitment campaign” for nurses internationally.
Nurses were leaving their positions to travel and take up new jobs so replacement staff needed to be recruited, she said.
Her comments were in response to a question from the chairperson of the forum, local Fianna Fail councillor Mary Hoade. She wanted to know the number of nurses who were employed in both local hospitals in 2017 and 2018 and whether these employees were on temporary or fulltime contracts.
