AQW 29702/17-22
Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry
Tabled Date: 14/02/2022
Answered On Date: 18/02/2022
Priority Written: No
Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail the efforts being made to attract agency health and social care staff into permanent employment by Health and Social Care Trusts.
Answer:
I am acutely aware of the impact of staff shortages across the whole health and social care system, including front line service provision. HSC Trusts are under enormous pressure, working to deliver safe and effective healthcare. This has been exacerbated by the pandemic and the associated increased levels of absence due to sickness and self-isolation of HSC staff. Action on addressing staff pressures is led by each HSC Trust employer with active recruitment to permanent vacancies proceeding at pace. This recruitment is targeted at all professionals including, existing trained staff, newly qualified professionals, agency and locum staff and doctors and nurses who have joined the HSC through our successful international recruitment programmes. The Department is committed to sustained investment in growing the local nursing and midwifery workforce to meet ever increasing demands, for example, this year we have maintained pre-registration nursing and midwifery training places at the record high level, (1,325). Increased investment in pre-registration nursing and midwifery training places has been a key priority with an 87% increase in commissioned places since 2015/16, demonstrating the Department’s commitment to address the workforce deficits. This reflects the commitment by the NI Executive in January 2020 of an additional 900 pre-registration training places over 3 years and investment of £60m over 5 years to address safe staffing within the NI nursing and midwifery workforce. The Department is working closely with HSC Trusts to ensure there is sufficient capacity within the system to meet the current exceptional demands. The HSC Workforce Appeal remains open and there is a strong effort to try and build capacity again with particular focus on certain roles and positions across hospitals and community care Transformation of health and social care in Northern Ireland is a priority.
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