CUH student nurses offered full-time jobs — but HSE now says the offers are no longer valid
'They told us those job offers are no longer valid, and we would be receiving new offers, with roughly half of us being placed on the 'bank',' one student nurse said. Picture: iStock
The HSE South West has apologised to student nurses in Cork, who were shocked by last-minute changes to job offers that were made just weeks ago.
The students have been working at Cork University Hospital during their training, some for the last four years.
They did interviews in June with full-time permanent job offers for the busy hospital made and accepted in late August.
However, they were then startled to hear that a meeting was called for Wednesday to discuss these jobs.
“They told us those job offers are no longer valid, and we would be receiving new offers, with roughly half of us being placed on the 'bank',” one student nurse said, speaking anonymously.
The bank is a new approach by HSE South West to have staff available to fill vacancies as they arise instead of hiring agency nurses.
The meeting was called at less than five hours' notice, with many people unable to make it.
By Thursday of last week, some students had received new offers, including bank roles, but it was unclear to the group if these were permanent or not.
“We are unsure because there has actually been no clear communication with us,” the nurse said.
"We were shocked they were allowed to do that.”
The students were expecting to work in the emergency department, intensive care unit, and operating theatres, as well as other areas in CUH.
“Some of us were planning on starting as soon as next week, so to hear we were being offered new posts, with the uncertainty of where we would be placed, was shocking,” she said.
Social Democrats' health spokesman Padraig Rice has spoken to some of the group and said they were “blindsided” by the changes.
“It is an utterly unacceptable way to treat these graduating nurses,” he said.
“The commitments previously made to this cohort of nurses must be honoured. All of them deserve permanent contracts in named clinical areas. Nothing less will suffice.”
He added:
A spokeswoman for HSE South West said it is recruiting all graduate nurses seeking full-time roles from University College Cork and Munster Technological University.
Offers will be made for sites across Cork and Kerry.
She said: “Regrettably, CUH made offers to a number of students in error, and HSE South West apologises to those involved for the impact of this error on their immediate plans.”
The HSE did not clarify how many students have been affected.
The spokeswoman added: “Graduates who have not been offered a full-time contract in CUH, but who wish to work in CUH as opposed to another site, may do so under the HSE South West’s new staff bank initiative, which is an agency reduction measure.
"Graduates working through the staff bank will be provided with a permanent, full-time contract and will work across the hospital in areas where there are temporary vacancies.
“As funded permanent vacancies arise, the graduates will be facilitated to transfer into the positions.”
- Niamh Griffin, Health Correspondent
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
