On 2 May, the Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD) and the National Women and Infants Health Programme's (NWIHP) hosted its annual national conference in Portlaoise.

Our Director of Professional Standards - Midwifery/Head of Education, Dr Karn Cliffe chaired the session ‘From Policy to Frontline - Midwives making progress’, the theme of this year’s event.

The conference was held ahead of International Day of the Midwife and was an opportunity to pay tribute to the important role play in society both in Ireland and abroad. The theme of this year’s International Day of the Midwife was 'Midwives: A Vital Climate Solution.

Some of the key topics discussed included the impact of climate change and how midwives can support sustainability and environmentally friendly practices at work; how human centred design could develop and improve the delivery of maternity services and the importance health and wellbeing. 

Attendees also heard from Bernard Gloster, HSE CEO; Angela Dunne, National Lead Midwife in the HSE National Women and Infants Health Programme and Margaret Quigley, National Lead for Midwifery in the Office of the HSE Nursing and Midwifery Service Director.

Reflecting on International Day of the Midwife, Karn praised the amazing work of our midwifery colleagues in caring for women, their families and their babies.