Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 October 2025
201. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Health if she plans to expand the public health nurse sponsorship programme for 2026 given the ongoing recruitment challenges being experienced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52449/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraPublic Health Nurses (PHN) are employed by the HSE to deliver safe, quality and person-centred community nursing care across a person's life. There are known challenges with the recruitment and retention of Public Health Nurses, particularly within parts of Dublin. This Government remains committed to providing continued investment in the nursing and midwifery workforce and ensuring that public health nursing is available for those who need this care.
There are 160 Post graduate education places available across 3 Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) in the Student Public Health Nursing programme. Places are filled based on the number of PHN vacancies and predicted vacancies that exist each year. To date there has not been a need to increase the number of post graduate places available as the number of vacancies and predicted vacancies has not exceeded the number of places available.
In 2024, to attract more nurses to specialise as Public Health Nurses, agreement was reached to allow existing Staff Nurses / Enhanced Staff Nurses who wished to enter the Public Health Nurse Sponsorship Programme to remain on the existing point of their current salary scale. The Public Health Nurse salary scale was also merged with the Clinical Nurse/Midwife Manager 2 grade along with the extension of the salary scale to one further point and the addition of a Long Service Increment.
As of August 2025, there are 1,520 WTE Public Health Nurses employed in the HSE. This is an increase of 49 WTE since August 2024. An additional 26.7 WTE PHN posts were provided for in Budget 2025. Candidates on the Public Health Nursing Sponsorship Programme have been selected and commenced their Student Public Health Nurse roles in September 2025. The sponsorship programme runs for 1 academic year starting in September each year.
