Student nurses 'deeply disappointed' at €100 pandemic payment proposal

INMO General Secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha 

Student nurses have strongly criticised a new report recommending they get a €100 per week hospital placement grant.

The report, by Professor Tom Collins, was commissioned following allegations that student nurses were being exploited during the pandemic.

In a statement, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), says the finding doesn't reflect the high-Covid risk Irish hospitals now pose, nor the work they'll be asked to do in the weeks ahead.

The union says it has requested an urgent meeting with the Minister for Health to discuss the situation.

Student representatives, who met last night, also said the report does not address any issues for final year interns.

INMO General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha, said: “Student nurses and midwives have been doing incredible work on the frontline. They engaged in this process in good faith and are deeply disappointed in this report.

“The Covid situation has deteriorated rapidly. This report is already obsolete and no longer reflects the risk or work that students will be taking on in the coming weeks.

“It’s time for the Minister to do the right thing. He should pay students the healthcare assistant rate of pay – something which was done earlier in the pandemic.

“This would better reflect the work and risks students are undertaking in Covid-intensive hospitals.”