§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what formal training is provided to assist nurses from overseas in adapting to and integrating into a new(a) working and (b) cultural environment. [167714]
§ Angela SmithHPSS employers provide comprehensive support by means of induction and adaptation training to help overseas nurses integrate into their new work force and cultural environments.
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§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the need to assign a single body with responsibility for recruiting overseas nurses to hospitals and health facilities in the Province. [167716]
§ Angela SmithThis matter has been included in discussions with HPSS employers about overseas recruitment but the concept of establishing a single body with responsibility for recruiting overseas nurses does not have support and would not represent cost effective use of valuable resources.
Collaboration already exists between local employers in the recruitment of overseas nurses resulting in more effective use of resources.
While I greatly value the contribution of overseas nurses in providing healthcare to our population, I expect the need for overseas recruitment to diminish as the investment in providing additional nurse training places over the last few years shows results.
§ Mr. BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many nurses in each Northern Ireland health trust area have left the profession within two years of registration in each of the last five years. [168267]
§ Angela SmithThis information is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many(a) full-time, (b) part-time and (c) student nurses were employed in each Northern Ireland health trust area in each of the last five years. [168268]
§ Angela SmithFigures for the number of full-time and part-time nurses employed in each Northern Ireland health trust area in each of the last five years have been placed in the Library.
Student nurses are no longer employed during their pre-registration training but HPSS employers facilitate practice placements as part of their training programme.
§ Mr. BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many specialist(a) theatre, (b) coronary care, (c) children's nursing, (d) diabetes, (e) intensive and (f) palliative care nurses were employed in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years; and what resources are being made available to train nurses in specialist areas. [168269]
§ Angela SmithFigures for the number of theatre, coronary care. children's nursing, diabetes, intensive and palliative care nurses employed in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years have been placed in the Library.
The Department currently allocates in excess of £10 million per annum for the provision of post registration nurse training to meet identified service needs. This includes commissioning of "specialist practice" training.