DUP challenges Sinn Fein claims that Executive is needed to resolve nursing crisis

Sinn Fein told BBC Good Morning Ulster today that it was critical to restore the Executive to resolve the pay and staffing crisis in nursing.

However, presenter Chris Buckler responded that Department of Health figures in June 2022 showed 2,493 nursing vacancies, and added that the Royal College of Nursing was talking in 2019 about how nursing pay in NI had fallen behind GB.

GMU asked why the problems with nursing had therefore not been resolved before the Executive was suspended earlier this year?

Sinn Fein Health Spokesperson Colm Gildernew responded: "The RCN came to the Health Committee over many occasions and had been flagging these issues up.

"Sinn Fein sat down with their Executive partners and we all agreed that health had to become the absolute priority. It was also the case that Conor Murphy identified £1bn pounds to invest over a multi year budgeting period.

...And as a result of the Executive not being put in place those things cannot be progressed at this time."

But GMU responded that "some people will be confused" because Sinn Fein appeared to be saying that the amount of public money coming to NI which could be going to health is more that other UK regions and yet the nurses here are paid less.

Mr Gildernew said the reason for less is "simply" the lack of an Executive.

"Well the reason they are being paid less is simply because there is no Executive in place to apply the same uplift that was applied in September."

GMU responded that the RCN is arguing that this was also the case several years ago when the executive was in place.

But Mr Gildernew responded: "When the Executive was in place that issue was addressed, that was the cause for the previous strike. That was addressed. The other part of the equation that wasn't addressed was the safe staffing issue."

GMU then asked if Sinn Fein would make a commitment that regarding the approximately 2,500 nursing vacancies "will be filled and that nurses will get pay parity with the rest of the UK"?

Mr Gildernew responded that Mr Murphy has made a commitment to provide an extra £1bn to address the issues and that Sinn Fein will be asking its Executive partners to ensure that this money is invested in health.