HSE to provide housing for employees as staff have "long journey to work”

Delegates unanimously supported the resolution calling for provision of accommodation and crush facilities in hospitals for those who have to travel long distances to work.

Hospitals in Ireland are planning to buy and build houses for their staff. It will also go some way towards addressing the shortage of nurses in the capital city where major hospitals are located.

Hospitals are making plans to build or buy houses for nurses and other key staff, and the health minister says funding will be made available from the capital health budget. Health Minister, Stephen Donnelly suggested that the HSE and hospitals should take the lead in tackling accommodation shortages.

Speaking at the annual conference of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organization in Killarney on Friday, he said management at several of the country's major hospitals had spoken to him about how to tackle the accommodation problem, which was seen as a major barrier to recruitment and retention.

He said he had spoken to management at the Mater Hospital in Dublin last week about housing solutions and had also contacted other hospitals, including Galway University Hospital, about the issue.

He said management at several major hospitals in the county have spoken to him about how to address the accommodation issue, which is seen as a major barrier to recruitment and staff retention. The Health Minister announced the funding would be made available from the Capital Health Budget while speaking at the annual conference of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organization in Killarney.

INMO president Karen McGowan said help with housing should be a pre-condition when new hospitals are planned, with the union previously saying the new NCH in Dublin would not be fully operational without help with accommodation because it could not recruit enough staff.