Harney faces criticism over crisis in nursing

Opposition parties have demanded a debate on the nursing service as the report into the death of two-year-old cardiac patient Róisín Ruddle was being published.

The Fine Gael deputy leader, Mr Richard Bruton, said in the Dáil it was a "sad reflection" on the health system and he asked what lessons were being learnt and what changes would be made to address the shortage of specialist nurses including those in intensive care units.

The toddler died in July 2003 the day after her heart operation was postponed because no staffed intensive care bed was available at Our Lady's Hospital in Dublin.

The Tánaiste, Ms Harney, who said everyone's thoughts were with Helen and Ger Ruddle, Róisín's parents, said that Our Lady's Hospital had taken corrective action on foot of many of the report's recommendations. She had earlier this week met the hospital's new manager and director of nursing, and a number of the report's recommendations on the management of the hospital had been taken on board, particularly the appointment of a person to take charge of the recruitment and retention of nurses.

Some 1,640 nursing students were recruited this year and they had to establish a graduate programme for midwifery and paediatrics to shorten the training time in such areas.

Ms Harney reiterated that there were more nurses in the Irish health service proportionately than in almost any other country in Europe and that €240 million had been spent on the development of 13 nursing schools.

She said the report made recommendations about the gaps, particularly in ICU which affected cardiac and other serious forms of surgery. "We need to ensure that intensive care units are staffed at all times so they can deal with patients who require surgery."

When Labour's health spokeswoman, Ms Liz McManus, called for a debate on the "nursing crisis", Ms Harney said it was incorrect to say there was a nursing crisis. "The Tánaiste's failure to recognise the crisis is part of the problem," said Ms McManus.

She asked: "Will the Tánaiste finally recognise the serious deficiencies in the flow of nurses into our hospitals? We have a major problem in retaining nurses, particularly in the Dublin hospitals, even though a sufficient number of them is being trained," she said.

Ms Harney said there was a worldwide shortage of ICU paediatric nurses and the hospital had been given the resources to help it engage in international recruitment.

The Green Party's health spokesman, Mr John Gormley, said Róisín Ruddle's sad and tragic death was "symptomatic of the crisis in our health service". He said the Opposition was not seeking "the world-class health service the Tánaiste has promised".

Mr Gormley stated that rather than a "fantastic" health service they were looking for "a basic health service".

Sinn Féin's health spokesman, Mr Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, called for the Tánaiste to take a "proactive approach to the critical needs within the acute hospital services system".