Northern Ireland

Health officials in U-turn over cut to nurse training budget

Health officials have reversed a £1 million funding cut in training for specialist nurses
Health officials have reversed a £1 million funding cut in training for specialist nurses Health officials have reversed a £1 million funding cut in training for specialist nurses

OFFICIALS at the Department of Health last night performed a dramatic U-turn over a controversial £1 million cut to a training budget for specialist nurses in Northern Ireland.

The move comes just 24 hours after former Sinn Féin health minister Michelle O'Neill called for the cut to be "immediately reversed" in what was viewed as a direct attack on the decision making of the Department's senior civil servants.

In a statement released to The Irish News last night, a Department spokeswoman said £1.25m "has since been made available" following Thursday's outcry over the announcement that £995,000 was to be axed from the Ulster University training fund for already qualified nurses for 2017/18.

District nurses, health visitors and those seeking to work with cancer patients and in A&E departments were among those affected.

The Department did not comment on when the "additional" monies had been made available.

An emergency meeting was ordered yesterday by the Department's most senior civil servant Richard Pengelly.

However, the head of the Royal College of Nursing told The Irish News last night that it was her understanding the funds had been made available as early as Friday morning - less than 24 hours after the row broke out.

Trade unions and the University of Ulster had warned of the devastating impact of the cut on patient care.

"It is the College's understanding that the Department was able to find the £1.25m and return it to the budget last Friday morning," said RCN director Janice Smyth.

"Senior nurses met yesterday to look at the implications of a reduced budget - despite the £1.25m there is a still a shortfall of £500,000 for training post-grad nurses in 2017/18."

The Irish News asked the Department on what grounds the initial cut had been made and why it was reinstated.

A spokeswoman replied that the "revised funding position" is possible as "a consequence of changes in expenditure needs in other areas, and is to be welcomed in view of the importance of continuing to invest in training our workforce".

The reversal comes as Ms O'Neill criticised the implications of the Department's original cut, claiming it was "abandoning" some of the aims of her 10-year plan for the health service, known as Delivering Together.

A department spokeswoman said the £1.25m will be used to fund a range of services "in line with Delivering Together" including "health visiting, district nursing and cancer nursing programmes".

The statement added: "As previously indicated, the Department is seeking to balance the very many demands and considerations of the wider health and social care system, within the context of a very fluid position."

She confirmed the overall training budget was still £500,000 short, even with the additional £1.25m.

The initial budget requested by the University of Ulster to provide specialist training for nurses and midwives for this financial year was £8.2m, of which £6.4m was made available.

Dr George O'Neill, a high-profile GP from Belfast, described the initial £1m cut as "small beer" in the context of an overall £5 billion budget and welcomed that the funds had been reinstated.