Reilly sees expanded role for nurses

An expanded role for nurses was a "key part" of the Government's health reform package, Minister for Health James Reilly has said.

He said the Government wanted to see nurses and midwives have an "improved and greater role" in the future.

Speaking at the publication today of a Strategic Framework for Role Expansion of Nurses and Midwives: Promoting Quality Patient Care, Dr Reilly said there would be a greater role for nurse in the community.

The framework, published by the Department of Health, envisages the movement of less complex services currently being delivered in acute hospitals - such as diabetes management - to the community to be delivered by nurses and midwives.

"Role expansion encompasses becoming more competent, reflective practitioners and developing expertise and skills to meet patients' needs in a holistic manner," it says.

Asked whether there would be enough nurses in the State to deliver an enhanced and more competent nursing service given that so many were emigrating, the Minister said there were "plenty of nurses in the country"

"This doesn't make any sense that we spend €90,000 training our nurses to the highest standard internationally to send them abroad."

However, the HSE recruitment embargo would not be lifted.

"What we will have is far greater flexibility within that moratorium to ensure frontline services are maintained and where recruitment takes place it takes place in areas where it is needed,” said Dr Reilly.

"We need to ensure that when the patient moves the resources move with the patient. We need to ensure the resources move to the community when we move the patient."

He said there would be "structured training" of nurses and that there would be "discussions with various groups… in a coherent fashion" so that changes in the roles of some professions such as GPs and physiotherapists were developed in tandem with changes in others' roles.