Health Services Staff

99. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Health the action she is taking to ensure that all newly qualified nurses and midwives graduating in 2026 are offered permanent HSE contracts in accordance with existing national policy; the reason contracts are being withheld in some health regions despite significant nursing and midwifery vacancies, including at University Hospital Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72324/26]

As I said to Deputy Kyne earlier, the number of nurses and midwives graduating every year is completely visible, known, factual and available in every region. On 1 January every year, as every region plans its recruitment for the year, it should know that and anticipate that that workforce will be available, that we have trained them, that they are excellent and that we want them to work in the public health service. Contingent on their graduation, they should have offers well in advance of graduation. That is not necessarily in a given hospital; it might be across the region. It has to be where the health service needs people, as opposed to being always a graduate's first preference. That is very clear. It is my priority and I have had that discussion with the HSE going back to last September. I will update the Deputy on the region. I was concerned by reports that a number of newly qualified nurses in Galway were offered positions that were subsequently not approved. People need to be treated better than that. This is predictable, foreseeable and on an every-year basis. I have been advised by the HSE that of the 307 graduate nurses and midwives in the west and north west, 224 have been offered posts and 186 have accepted those posts. That means about 73% of graduates in the region have employment offers. Work is ongoing to offer posts to the remaining graduates and to confirm start dates. There is no recruitment embargo. Recruitment has not been stopped. There has been control because, for example, HSE West and North West is 11.5% above budget on agency expenditure. You cannot spend money on agency and then have money to recruit permanent staff. That is why the organisation of resources is so important. Spending on agency means the money is not there to recruit permanent nurses and midwives, which is what I want, namely, a stable, safe, permanent workforce that is not dependent on agency. It is important that management do this. This has to be resolved this year, and it must be done correctly next year.

I appreciate that clarity because I do not think the Minister could be any clearer. The north-west region appears to be over budget on the basis it has so many agency staff. That provides no solace to our young graduates who worked for the past four years to get qualified. I met them this morning in the audiovisual room and there were tears and upset. There is huge desire among young nurses to get into the workforce and contribute. They are not looking for anything for nothing. They want to work, start their careers and drive on. I know the Minister accepts that. I appreciate the Minister's response that there is work ongoing to offer these young graduates contracts but the offers went out in March and they still have not got contracts. Will the Minister give an assurance today that they will get contracts? Will that happen in the next month? Will it happen before the year is out? We need to get these graduates in there. They need to know it is coming and that they will have this chance.

I totally agree. They deserve to be treated with respect. The west and north west is, of the four regions in escalation, the least bad and is capable of coming down from about 2.4%. If it gets under 2%, it can come out of the escalated control. It is not in as bad a situation as some of the other regions. That said, it needs to continue to make progress on getting within budget. This has an impact on people's lives. It shows the importance of planning recruitment and of treating graduates with respect. These are wonderful professionals. This State has invested in university degrees for them to be the kind of excellent professionals we want working in the health service. We want to treat them with respect and give them the predictability of knowing they will have a contract and where it will be. It cannot be the case that because of in-year management or incorrect management of a budget, they then are in that situation. It is not good enough. It is not predictable and is not the way things should be run. They deserve to be treated better.

There is no disagreement here on the importance of how we treat our nurses, especially new people who want to enter the system. It is worrying that this is their first engagement with the HSE bar their training and placements and that their relationship with their employer has started in this vein. I understand the Minister cannot engage in micromanagement but it is important she continues to engage with the north-west division and the west, particularly University Hospital Galway but there are issues in Portiuncula hospital as well, to make sure these young people know the HSE wants to employ them and to recognise the four years of hard training they did and that we want to retain this talent and see them have a life here in Ireland. If the Minister could confirm whether that will happen, I would appreciate it.

This House, representing the people, has spent considerable money on the training of those nurses and midwives. They have trained in our universities and hospitals and we want to retain them. We value them and their expertise and we want them to be in the Irish health service. I am informed there are currently seven permanent midwife vacancies in maternity services in University Hospital Galway. There have also been 19 newly qualified midwifery graduates from Galway. All 19 have been interviewed and placed on a recruitment panel, from which appointments can be made as approved vacancies arise. Seven have been offered posts, of whom six have accepted. I expect that work to continue but I cannot go any further than that in the House today. The Deputy can clearly hear our intent about the professionalisation of recruitment in the system.