Shortage of psychiatric nurses at 'every level' as Government accused of 'failing'

Psychiatric Nurses Association general secretary Peter Hughes said the sector was enduring a 'recruitment and retention crisis in both mental health and intellectual disability nursing'. File picture: Peter Byrne/PA Wire

A shortage of psychiatric nurses due to emigration and retirement is having an impact at "every level of mental health services".

The Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) said there were 700 vacancies across the country and nothing had been done to resolve this. 

Addressing its annual conference on Thursday, PNA general secretary Peter Hughes said the sector was enduring a "recruitment and retention crisis in both mental health and intellectual disability nursing". 

He said the PNA had highlighted the issue with the Department of Health and the HSE last year, but they had "failed then and they continue to fail."

He added: “Since the decline of covid, services are now experiencing a very high level of nurses emigrating to Australia and Canada in particular. Furthermore, nurses, who were eligible to retire and who stayed on to support services are now finally retiring."

"The impacts of shortages are apparent daily throughout the services and the message to the Government is clear. 

It is inexcusable that nursing vacancies have been allowed to increase to such an extent that beds are being closed and vital services are being denied to communities across the country.” 

Other factors included the "spiralling" cost of accommodation for nurses planning to return from abroad, with Mr Hughes warning a workforce planning group was needed to address the crisis.

Mr Hughes also slammed the lack of investment by the Government in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs), pointing to Maskey Report of January 2022 as a "damning indictment".

"The pressures and burnout experienced by staff left to cope with staffing shortages in Camhs is intolerable and it is growing. 

"It is inconceivable that over the past year the diminution of mental health services for children and adolescents of this country has continued. "

There are only 42 Camhs beds in operation nationally, despite a waiting list of 3,937 in November of last year.