Jen Cummins
Question:1222. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Health her plans to address the burn out of public health nurses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10475/26]
View answerTuesday, 10 February 2026
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Written answers
Public Health Nurses (PHN) are employed by the HSE to deliver safe, quality and person-centred community nursing care across a person's life. This Government remains committed to providing continued investment in the nursing and midwifery workforce and ensuring that work force well-being is prioritised.
The number of Public Health Nurses (PHNs) employed in the HSE as of November 2025 is 1540 whole time equivalents (WTE), which is an increase of 48 WTE PHNs since December 2023. An additional 26.7 WTE PHN posts provided for in Budget 2025 were recruited through the PHN sponsorship programme for September 2025 with an expected qualification timeframe for August 2026.
The Framework for Safe Nurse Staffing and Skill Mix is an evidence-based flexible approach to determining nurse staffing levels based on patient need. Implementation of the Framework across several phases to date has shown a number of staff benefits including increased perceptions of care quality, reduction in missed meal breaks, decreased levels of burnout and increased levels of job satisfaction.
Phase 1 which applies to adult general and specialist medical and surgical wards has been national policy since 2018. Phase 2 which applies to adult emergency care settings has been national policy since 2022. Phase 3(i) of the Framework applies to long-term residential care settings for older persons, and a policy is expected in early 2026.
Phase 3(ii) of the Framework applies to community care settings. An Expert Oversight Group was established to oversee the programme of work to develop the Framework in community settings, beginning with the Public Health Nursing Service. The programme of work includes an independent research evaluation which will examine various outcome measures including burnout. A national policy will be published on completion.