Nursing unions’ statements ‘misleading’

The row over price hikes in registration fees for nurses has intensified, with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland accusing nursing unions of making confusing and misleading statements.

The board’s chief executive, Maura Pidgeon, said comments made by union leaders about the dispute were “ill-founded, inaccurate and a flagrant attempt to smear the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland staff in the discharge of their statutory obligations”.

In a letter to the leaders of the Irish Nurses and Midwifes Organisation, the Psychiatric Nurses Association and Siptu, Dr Pidgeon expressed disappointment at their comments that nurses wishing to amend their direct debit arrangements for paying registration fees were facing difficulties.

Nurses have staged a number of protests in recent months against a planned 50% increase in their annual registration fee from €100 to €150, which is due to be paid by January 1.

They point out the price increase will be a major burden especially on younger, lower-paid nurses. They have also criticised the price hike on the basis that registration fees for other health professionals are to remain unchanged until at least 2017.

There is growing concern that an escalation of the dispute could lead to a mass boycott of the new fee, which could have serious implications for health services in hospital from January.

Nurses are prohibited from working unless they are formally registered with the board. The regulatory body said it was imperative all nurses and midwives were aware the fee had to be paid by the start of 2015.

Dr Pidegon said the board had a designated email address set up to allow nurses advise the board of any amendments they wished to make to their direct debit terms.

She rejected any suggestion by the unions that the board’s staff had been “obstructive” to nurses wishing to amend their direct debit arrangements.

The chief executive said its board met last week to discuss the registration fee issue but the situation was unchanged.

It maintains it needs to raise the annual registration fee to meet its obligations under recent legislation which includes the holding of fitness-to-practise hearings in public.

Dr Pidgeon said the HSE had confirmed to the board that nurses and midwives cannot be employed without certification that they paid the registration fee.