Chair of Care Home Operators Executive Committee at The Malta Chamber response to nurse shortage

In response to the Times of Malta article regarding shortages of nurses, Natalie Briffa Farrugia, Chair of the Care Home Operators Executive Committee at The Malta Chamber said “The care home industry has been raising the alarm about the systemic shortage of nurses in our country for several years now. The news that an Irish recruitment agency is attempting to poach nurses from Malta will exacerbate the existing issues that our care homes are facing as they keep losing well-trained staff overseas.”

“Care homes are now caught in a vicious cycle whereby they incur substantial recruitment and training costs, giving employees the opportunity to improve their English in the process, only to have these efforts taken advantage of by the UK, Ireland and other countries, as well as our local public sector entities. This news comes just as the care home sector is still reeling from the impact of the pandemic,” she said.

“Operators had to bear the disproportionate cost of necessary COVID-19 related health measures as they experienced higher operating costs with lower bed occupancy. The profitability of the sector has been further disrupted by the government’s requirement to set aside contingency beds. In addition to this, care homes are also heavily exposed to the current inflationary pressures, particularly in terms of spiraling food costs,” said Ms Briffa Farrugia.