NURSES SAY THEY should get a special payment from the government to help offset their housing costs.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) voted unanimously in favour of the idea, after an amendment was made to the motion to lobby for such a payment not only for student and early-career nurses, but all nurses.

Some are buying homes several counties away or commuting hours from rented accommodation because they can’t afford to live near their workplace, members heard.

Christopher Hughes, a third-year nursing student, said that the lack of affordable housing means people accept long commutes and overcrowded accommodation. This, he says, negatively impacts a nurse’s mental health and job satisfaction.

“This disparity creates a significant barrier, a vicious cycle where talented nurses and midwives are driven away from the profession, or forced to leave Ireland altogether due to unaffordable housing,” he told members.

It comes as new INMO survey results reveal that 61.51% of nurses have considered leaving their current job in the past month. However, workplace stress was cited as the primary reason, with one in four going to their GP about it.

Another nurse, Abraham, described “living from hand to mouth” as a student, paying high rent only to have to commute 90 minutes each way to work every day.

I would consider should we heat the house or buy something to eat.

Edel Bannon, a nurse in Roscommon who previously worked in London, said Ireland should follow the UK in how it provides for nurses.

Bannon said that ’London weighting’ – a wage supplement for employees working in London to help offset the higher cost of living – was the only reason she could afford to work there. 

Average market rents at the end of last year were €2,481 in Dublin, €2,197 in Galway City, and €2,097 in Cork City. This equates to between 65% and 77% of a newly-qualified staff nurse’s €32,000 salary.

The concept of a ‘Dublin allowance’ has previously been raised, the argument being that it would help with the shortage of key workers in a number of sectors, including healthcare, education and the gardaí.

However, questions were raised about the efficacy of such a measure, as well as the logic of it, since rents are growing more rapidly in cities smaller than Dublin.