Nursing and Midwifery Workforce Readiness during a Global Pandemic: A Survey of the Experience of one hospital group in the Republic of Ireland

Aim: To explore the mobilisation of nurses/midwives in a designated hospital group in Ireland during a global pandemic.Background: The recent global pandemic has resulted in the large-scale worldwide mobilisation of Registered Nurses and Midwives working in the acute care sector. There is a dearth of literature reporting the mobilisation of this professional workforce.Method: Mixed-methods design using an electronic survey and facilitated discussion across one Irish hospital group.Results: Eight of 11 hospitals responded to the survey. There was a 2% vacancy rate prior to the pandemic. Mobilisation included reconfiguration of clinical areas and redeployment of 9% of the nursing/midwifery workforce within two weeks of the pandemic. A total of 11% (n=343) of nurses/midwives were redeployed in three months. Nurses/midwives required re-skilling in infection prevention control, enhancement of critical care skills and documentation.Conclusions: Three key areas were identified to enable the nursing workforce readiness. These are referred to as the three ‘R’s’: Reconfiguration of specific resources; Redeployment of nurses to dedicated specialist areas and Re-skilling of nurses to safely care for the patients during the pandemic.Implications for Nursing Management: A centralised approach to Reconfiguration of clinical areas. Redeployment is enabled by closing non-essential departments. Hands-on re-skilling and reorientating staff are essential.