DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

UK nursing and midwifery workforce reaches record high of 841,367, but faces shortages and increasing inexperience, with reliance on overseas candidates. Calls for student loan forgiveness schemes to boost domestic recruitment.

Top nurses warn that NHS reforms are at risk due to recruitment and retention issues, despite a record high of 841,367 registered nurses and midwives. The workforce is increasingly inexperienced and relies heavily on overseas candidates. Policymakers are urged to consider measures like student loan forgiveness to boost domestic recruitment.

Bray joins DRIVE programme to combat drug-related intimidation and violence, addressing increased incidents in the community, fostering support for victims, and enhancing community resilience.

Ulster University researchers developed a faster method to diagnose Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and predict Covid-19 severity using senescent cell protein markers, potentially revolutionizing CKD diagnosis and management, and aiding in early Covid-19 intervention.

Unions protest 'back door hiring freeze' leading to unsafe staffing levels; INMO and Unite members vote for industrial action. Over 2,000 nursing and midwifery posts unfilled in public health system, causing crisis. Unions demand resolution to staffing issues for patient safety and staff wellbeing.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt launched the Substance Use Strategic Commissioning and Implementation Plan 2024-2028, focusing on reforming substance use services in Northern Ireland. The plan aims to ensure high-quality, accessible services, reduce health inequalities, and tackle stigma, co-produced with over 150 representatives from various sectors.

Health service workers' industrial action aims to reverse austerity's impact and fight the health service crisis. Trade unions like FORSA and INMO are balloting for action, including strikes, due to the 'Pay and Numbers Strategy' classifying unfilled posts as obsolete and setting a 129,000 employee cap. This contradicts government policies on safe staffing and bed capacity expansion, worsening patient care and waiting lists. The unions argue that recruitment restrictions will further deteriorate staffing levels, impacting patient safety and care quality.

NHS managers silencing whistleblowers may face professional barring under Government plans, including a new statutory duty of candour. A public consultation on these proposals, aimed at addressing a 'culture of cover-up,' will run for 12 weeks.

Wexford Local Development’s Cornmarket Project launches free, confidential online support for gambling and gaming addiction across HSE CHO 5 region. The service offers secure, flexible online counselling to remove barriers and stigma, supported by an online training course for frontline personnel. The Department of Health and HSE back this initiative, aiming to provide accessible help for those in need.