Press release
Minister for Health announces additional supports of €12m for Student Nurses and Midwives
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, today announced that the government has approved his proposals to provide significant additional supports worth €12 million for student nurses and midwives while attending their clinical placements.
Minister Donnelly said:
"I am extending the Pandemic Placement Grant of €100 per week to all eligible nursing and midwifery students on placement for this academic year. It will be backdated to September 2021. This funding will support students attending their clinical placements.
"Government is also providing additional support to students needing overnight accommodation away from their normal place of residence in order to attend some of their clinical placements. We are doubling the cap on the vouched accommodation allowance to €100 per week of placement."
These additional supports arise following the Longer-Term Review of Matters relating to Student Nurses and Midwives. The independent review, by Mr. Seán McHugh, sets out recommendations to enhance the current Travel and Subsistence scheme for students in attending their supernumerary clinical placements. The Minister will consider these further so that a permanent enhanced scheme can be developed that will provide a targeted and more equitable approach to supporting students in undertaking supernumerary clinical placements from September 2022.
Mr. McHugh also reviewed the salary of the 36-week internship for final year student nurses and midwives. The Minister supports this recommendation and, as such, will be increasing financial supports to interns.
Minister Donnelly said:
"While work is ongoing to progress Mr. Mc Hugh’s specific recommendation, I want to provide additional financial support to intern students. That is why, in the interim, all student nurses and midwives on paid internship placement will now receive additional financial support of €1,800 for the duration of their paid internship. This will take effect from 1 January 2022, the same date as paid internships for the current academic year are due to begin.
"It is important that we support our student nurses and midwives to undertake their clinical placements. I am grateful to Mr. McHugh for undertaking this important piece of work as it has helped my consideration of how we can best support our student nurses and midwives as they continue their undergraduate education."