14 new graduate nurse posts approved for Mayo University Hospital
The approval is part of 184 graduate nurse posts across the region, bringing relief to graduates and their families after weeks of uncertainty.
Mayo University Hospital (MUH) has been approved for 14 graduate nurses, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill confirmed last night. The approval is part of 184 graduate nurse posts across the region.
The announcement follows weeks of concern over reports that nursing and midwifery recruitment at the hospital had been put on hold because of budgetary constraints.
The news comes just a day before the Health Minister is due to travel to Mayo.
Great news
Westport-based Deputy Keira Keogh was the first to share the news and told her followers last night that the Minister phoned her with the update.
“I just got a call from Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill with the great news that MUH has just been approved for 14 graduate nurses, and the region as a whole has been approved for 184,” Deputy Keogh said. “This is really welcome news this evening.”
The Fine Gael TD also pointed to other developments in local health services. A new GP has been approved for Westport and will begin practice on December 1. A minor injuries unit is due to open in Ballina, expected to treat around 8,000 patients a year and to ease pressure on MUH. A planned two-storey extension to the acute medical assessment unit is also on the way.
“It’s still a long way to go, but I had to pop on with the good news and finish off the evening this way,” she said.
Fine Gael Senator Mark Duffy also welcomed confirmation from the Minister that the additional 14 nurses had been approved. “This is a welcomed announcement and one that will help add much needed resources to Mayo’s county hospital and outcomes for patients across Mayo,” he said. He thanked the Minister for her “ongoing engagement and support in addressing challenges that need attention in Mayo.”
Castlebar-based Minister of State Alan Dillon TD said the 184 graduate nurses across the West and Northwest will be offered contracts, bringing relief to graduates and their families after weeks of uncertainty.
“I heard from graduates and families who wanted to know when the nurses could start. I raised their concerns directly with Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and, thankfully, the approval issue has been resolved,” Minister Dillon said.
He said he had been told that 14 graduate nurses are due to take up posts at MUH, and that further placements in community and primary care services will be announced in due course. “We must keep filling frontline vacancies, so our teams have the support they need to deliver safe, high-quality care,” he added.
The Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary also welcomed the news and said that “I want to acknowledge all those graduates who contacted me personally in the past couple of weeks and wish them every success now in their new roles.”
Council motion earlier this week
The approval comes days after Mayo County Council discussed a motion from Castlebar-based Cllr Harry Barrett condemning the freezing of nursing and midwifery positions at the hospital.
Councillors highlighted the impact on patient safety, citing long waits and overcrowded emergency departments. They also criticised the lack of clarity for recruits who had already relocated for their roles. Staffing shortages, they said, have contributed to ambulance delays, with vehicles held waiting for patient transfers, affecting regional emergency coverage.
Cllr Barrett said nurses who had accepted positions at MUH had taken leases in Castlebar and, in many cases, given up other jobs. “This is totally unacceptable,” he said. “This is paperwork being put before patients.”
Aontú Cllr Deirdre Lawless, who supported the motion, described the situation as “an absolute disgrace” given that contracts had been signed. She said it was a tragedy for young people who had been promised employment.
Cllr Barrett’s motion called on the council to urgently demand that the Minister lift recruitment restrictions at MUH and allow all previously sanctioned frontline posts to be filled immediately. It also proposed sending the motion to the Minister for Health and the Taoiseach, with a request for an urgent written response.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme