Mayo nurses’ jobs limbo raised in the Dáil

THE plight of Mayo graduate nurses left in limbo over jobs at Mayo University Hospital was raised in the Dáil on Tuesday.

Sinn Féin TD Rose Conway-Walsh said young nurses who had been promised posts, and even told which ward they would work on, have now been told it is all on hold.

Speaking during the Finance Bill debate, she cited today’s Connaught Telegraph front page report on the nurses’ situation.

The hospital’s email to the nurses, seen by The Connaught Telegraph, blames a Department of Health approval requirement.

Deputy Conway-Walsh said there are 85 vacancies at Mayo University Hospital, 50 of them for nurses and midwives.

“That is not 85 new jobs,” she said.

“These are existing jobs that are not covered because there is a halt on recruitment.”

She said hospital staff are already covering the work of several colleagues and that the Government is “sucking the life out of these workers”.

She said the Government could not describe the Budget as one for workers while nurses were left in this position.

The Department of Health has told The Connaught Telegraph that recruitment “continues” under new sanctioning arrangements introduced in four HSE regions, and that start dates are a matter for the HSE.

It said there are 307 graduate nurses and midwives in the West and North West. Of these, 224 have been offered positions and 186 have accepted.