The impact of the economic crisis and austerity on the nursing and midwifery professions in the Republic of Ireland – ‘boom’,‘bust’ and retrenchment

Abstract

The year 2008 marked a profound crisis for Irish public services, with the economy moving from a state of ‘boom’ to ‘bust’. This economic context has significantly impacted on Irish nursing and midwifery. This paper outlines the profound changes that have taken place in the landscape of Irish nursing and midwifery, between 1997 and 2014 as a result. Firstly we outline the considerable changes that took place within the nursing and midwifery professions following the Government’s acceptance of the recommendations of the Commission on Nursing (Government of Ireland, 1998), including the introduction of a 4-year degree-level pre-registration training for all nurses, and the establishment of the Health Service Executive in 2005. We then describe the consequences of the austerity measures implemented by the Irish Government from 2009 to the present and their impact on the Irish nursing and midwifery professions. An employment moratorium, salary cuts, increased working hours and incentivised retirement schemes, combined with a restructuring of the hospital service and the potential restructuring of nurse education are discussed. These measures have been introduced at a time of increased public and professional consciousness of the impact on patient care of having nurses in the right place, in the right numbers and with the right skills set. It is argued that these restructuring measures will have a profound impact on the shape of Irish nursing into the future, though whether positive or negative is too early to tell.