Minister for Health Announces €9 million in Additional Supports for Student Nurses and Midwives

New annual allowance for meals and subsistence

Increased accommodation allowance for student nurses and midwives on placement

Internship nurses and midwives to receive 80% of starting staff nurse / midwife pay scale for placement

The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has today announced his intention to provide significant additional supports for student nurses and midwives. The €9m package of measures is in line with the recommendations of the McHugh Report.

In November 2021, the Minister published the Longer-Term Review of Matters Relating to Student Nurses and Midwives (McHugh Report). The review, carried out by Mr. Seán McHugh, recommended an enhanced Travel and Subsistence Scheme for student nurses and midwives attending their supernumerary clinical practice placements. Supernumerary nursing and midwifery students are like other students, but they have 45 weeks of mandatory clinical practice placements in healthcare settings. Clinical practice placements support the students to gain the required clinical competencies under supervision. The McHugh Report also recommended a review of the pay for the 36-week internship for final year student nurses and midwives.

Welcoming the approval of the package of supports by Government today, Minister Donnelly said: “I am pleased to be introducing an enhanced Travel and Subsistence Scheme for student nurses and midwives while attending their supernumerary practice placements, which will provide a targeted and more equitable approach to supporting these students”.

• An enhanced Travel and Subsistence Scheme for student nurses and midwives in years 1 to 3 of their studies will see each receive €500 per year as a targeted measure to contribute towards meeting the extra costs of meals associated with practice placements outside the student’s core placement site.

• A new rate of €80 for overnight accommodation is being introduced, along with an increased weekly cap of €300, for those students who require accommodation away from their normal place of residence while attending practice placements. This weekly cap is three times the cap introduced on 1st January 2022, and almost six times the previous cap.

• Student nurses and midwives can also avail of, on a vouched basis, the reasonable cost of uniform laundry services during periods of overnight accommodation.

• Pay will be re-instated at 80% of first year staff nurse/midwife pay scale, for internship students.

• Two additional uniforms for student nurses and midwives at the start of their internship.

Acknowledging the contribution made by student nurses and midwives during their 36-week internship, Minister Donnelly said: “For student nurses and midwives on their final year internship, I am ensuring that their salary is set in line with the recommendation of the McHugh Report, by increasing their rate of pay to 80% of point 1 of the staff nurse/midwife pay scale - this measure, worth €3.6m, demonstrates further our commitment to retaining talent throughout our nursing and midwifery degree programmes, and our appreciation for the effort and dedication shown by students during their crucial final-year internships”.

The Government has approved Minister Donnelly’s proposals and the enhanced Travel and Subsistence supports will be backdated for all student nurses and midwives to the start of the current Academic Year, September 2022.

ENDS