Student Nurse Colleagues
As you are aware, the PNA and INMO have been lobbying on behalf of student nursing and midwifery members in relation to financial supports due to the effect of COVID-19 on students on clinical placement this year.
Following extensive engagement with the Department of Health, the HSE have issued HR Memo re Student Pandemic Grant regarding the Pandemic Placement Grant (PPG) of €100 per week of supernumerary clinical placement from the 1st of September 2020 to the end of the 2020/2021 academic year.
As per the Memo, the grant will be administered/paid using the existing structures and processes that are used to pay current clinical placement allowances to student nurses and midwives. The PPG should be processed with immediate effect and received by the student no later than 1st of June 2021.This grant is as a result of the recommendation from the independent review conducted by Professor Collins in December 2020, to which the PNA and INMO made a submission and PNA/INMO student reps gave testimonials.
The Department committed to a long-term review to look at clinical placement allowances beyond the immediate pandemic this year. The Minister for Health , Mr Stephen Donnelly appointed Mr Sean McHugh as Independent chair to undertake this review as per defined Terms of Reference. The PNA has provided a submission to this review within the required timeframe closing date May14th , following which there will be further engagement with the Chair on matters raised in our submission .
Kind regards,
Peter Hughes, General Secretary
Aisling Culhane, Research and Development Adviser