A recruitment campaign for more nursing staff for Clifden has yielded just one new nurse – who won’t be available to work until September 2024.

All of this casts fresh doubts on the viability of Clifden District Hospital, as the HSE insists it needed at least four new nurses for the hospital and St Anne’s Community Nursing Unit.

The HSE Community Healthcare West launched a ‘bespoke’ nurse recruitment campaign last October, as part of a commitment to local politicians who feared Clifden District Hospital was being closed by stealth.

In a briefing to Councillor Eileen Mannion (FG) and others this week, the HSE has confirmed that out of 29 applications, just one nurse was forthcoming from the process.

“Twenty-nine applications were received for the bespoke campaign and twenty-two were shortlisted for interview. Five attended for interview, were placed on a panel and offered permanent staff nurse posts.

“Despite our best efforts advertising the competition, unfortunately only one nurse, who will not be available until Summer 2024, was forthcoming from the interview process,” Siobhan O’Sullivan, General Manager of Older People’s Services in Community Healthcare West said.

Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.