Nurses criticise increase in retirement age

The Psychiatric Nurses Organisation has criticised the Government’s decision to increase the retirement age for nurses and midwives working in Ireland.

Under new Government regulations, nurses who join the health service after April 1 will be required to work up until the age of 65.

The PNO said this would discourage foreign nurses from coming to Ireland from other countries where the retirement age is usually 60.

The organisation said this, in turn, would exacerbate the existing nursing shortages in Irish hospitals.