Over 2,000 student nurses and midwives are to have their clinical placements suspended for at least two weeks in order to free up qualified supervisory staff for frontline duties in hospitals.
Sources confirmed that the HSE contacted the Department of Health last night seeking the temporary suspension of placements, which could leave hundreds of experienced nurses and midwives who currently supervise the students in institutions around the country free to assist in dealing with record levels of Covid-19 admissions to hospitals.
It is understood that some hospitals had already suspended student placements on these grounds. During the first wave of Covid-19, student nurses were converted to Health Care Assistants (HCA) and paid as such.