I think proud is the word I would use to describe how I feel about the professions of nursing and midwifery in 2020.

Everything shifted this year for nurses and midwives. You stepped up and rallied on the front line for patients. You responded so quickly, you re-skilled and you embraced technology. As a group we moved light years in the space of a few short months. I am so proud of what we have achieved and the way we worked together as a healthcare community.

The job that nurses and midwifes do is important and as your regulator we aim to continue to support the important education, health and administrative stakeholders from across the system that support the work you do. We will also continue to provide the mechanisms and guidance needed to help you to develop and continue to deliver the very best and the safest care through this pandemic and beyond.

Our future

As a Board, we have been determined since the start of this pandemic to ensure that any emergency measures that were put in place would not affect the ability of nursing and midwifery students to complete their training and achieve registration. I am particularly proud of the broad collaboration of stakeholders from across the healthcare and education sector who worked with us to achieve this, and look forward in the months ahead to working again with them to maintain the supernumerary status for students and ensure their timely progression to registration.

To all our resilient students who have had to walk an unknown path and have embraced the opportunity to grow and contribute at a time of immense need, thank you sincerely for everything you have helped us to achieve.

Business as usual

While our work associated with the pandemic response has kept us busy this year, I am happy that we were also able to continue to make progress in our business and be one of the first regulators in the health sector to launch an online registration system, MyNMBI. Over the coming months, we will continue to add to and develop MyNMBI, launching the education module next year. I would like to thank everyone in the organisation and the larger NMBI family who has been involved in this project and the digitisation of other processes.

Supporting the development of NMBI

It is through the contributions of many that we function as a modern regulator. Several of these contributors have left our Board in December. I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank our public interest appointees Pat Dolan, Martin Higgins and Dermot Manning for their two terms; elected representatives Breda Liston and Karen Canning for their one term; HSE appointee Liam Minihan for his one term and Director of Nursing appointee Karen Greene for her input over the past two years. Your time, commitment and considerable efforts were very much appreciated.

I would like to welcome back Lorraine Clarke Bishop who has been re-elected along with Louise Kavanagh McBride and Laura Sahm who have been re-appointed for a second term and extend a warm welcome to newly elected representatives Joseph Shalbin Kallarakkal and Marian Vaughan, I look forward to your unique inputs over the next four years.

In conclusion, I think it is safe to say that as we got ready to celebrate the WHO designated Year of the Nurse and Midwife this time last year we really did not know or could not have anticipated the path that we would travel. We made our path this year by walking it and at the risk of over-using the word proud, I am particularly PROUD of what we achieved together.

My hope now as the year closes is that you have a happy, safe and healthy Christmas.

With every best wish for 2021.

Essene Cassidy

President, NMBI

Christmas is always a time for reflection on the year gone by and a time to think about a New Year ahead.

This past year has been unlike any in living memory as the Covid-19 virus has swept across the planet, taking 1.5 million lives and ruining futures for so many more who continue to suffer the effects of the illness.

Here on this island, we have lost more than 3,000 lives to the pandemic. Life as we know it has changed utterly.

The incredible work of the international scientific community however has seen the arrival and approval of vaccines designed to reduce the deadly side-effects of Covid-19, providing a bright light of hope for the future of our country and our planet.

In 2020 our nurses and midwives rose to the many challenges thrown in their way by the pandemic and it is they we thank this Christmas for their admirable efforts.

I also want to thank my team at NMBI for their work throughout the pandemic to ensure that those returning to the register could do so. The team’s efforts has meant we were able to maintain our high standards of professionalism and education throughout; we were able to work with partners to approve new placement arrangements for students on three occasions and that we were able to progress with Fitness To Practise hearings – in person, in hybrid and even in fully remote settings after an initial pause.

The new year ahead will lead to more challenges for us at the NMBI and for our healthcare professionals and I have no doubt we will all meet those challenges head-on.

The new annual registration process, which continues until 31 January 2021, is so important for the future of our health services across all sectors. We are gathering new information for the first time which will allow both the NMBI and the Department of Health to plan for what healthcare in Ireland will look like under Slaintecare.

We have so much to look forward to in 2021 and I want to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Sheila McClelland

CEO, NMBI

Annual registration for nurses and midwives is now well underway with a new online system this year.

The new way of providing registration services to nurses and midwives in 2020 is the biggest change in the history of the annual retention system.

Going online will have huge benefits for everyone in the years ahead.

It’s important we know where our registrants are working and how they work; important for the future of our professions and for our education stakeholders.

NMBI is the first regulator to employ a new registration system in this way.

While most registrants who have been able to complete their 2021 registration so far have done so successfully, the organisation acknowledges that some nurses and midwives have had some difficulties.

NMBI has listened to registrants and our stakeholders and several changes have been made to help the user experience.

We have also provided answers to the most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), published a step-by-step guide in PDF format and shared an animated video guide. A customer care centre is also operating. You can find all the links below.

Nadia Dagash, Director of Registration and Digitisation at NMBI, says: “MyNMBI went live in September after months of planning. The online renewal facility followed on 30 November.

“When this sort of system is rolled out you have to try to plan for every eventuality and every possible user experience which may follow.

“In the early days we did find some issues which some registrants had difficulty with, so we made several changes to improve the experience. We spoke directly to many of those who were having problems, and we made changes as a response. We will continue listening to our registrants and implement further improvements.

“Registration on MyNMBI takes around 15 minutes and we hope those who still have to renew their registration will watch our video and check our guide. We know from our own feedback and research that they do help the process.”

• 2021 Annual Registration Renewal Video Guide
• 2021 Annual Registration Renewal PDF Guide
• Frequently Asked Questions
• NMBI customer support: 1890 200 116

The support line is open: 9:00am - 5:30pm on the following dates over the holiday period:

• Tuesday, 22 December, Wednesday, 23 December, Thursday, 24 December, Tuesday, 29 December, Wednesday, 30 December and Thursday, 31 December.

The support line is closed on the following dates:

• Friday, 25 December, Saturday, 26 December, Sunday, 27 December, Monday, 28 December, Friday, 1 January, Saturday, 2 January and Sunday, 3 January.

The support line will re-open after New Year on Monday, 4 January.

As this is the first year of the new MyNMBI system, we aim to make your annual registration renewal as user-friendly as possible.

To guide you through the process, we have developed a useful video which you can view on our website.

We also recently published a step-by-step guide and a list of frequently asked questions which you can access through the links below.

• The 2021 Annual Registration Renewal Guide
• MyNMBI: Frequently Asked Questions

Renewing your registration on MyNMBI will take about 15 minutes to complete as we are collecting additional data to allow NMBI and our education stakeholders to plan for the future of healthcare in Ireland. Please note, that you must use a laptop or desktop when renewing your registration as the application is not yet mobile enabled.

You can also email us at regservices@nmbi.ie.

After a long and dedicated career to nursing, midwifery and regulation Ursula Byrne, Director of Regulation at NMBI has retired. 

More than 60 colleagues and friends from a lifetime of work joined a virtual Leaving Party, many taking the opportunity to recall the great times working together.

In last month’s issue of our eZine, we spoke to Ursula about her long and established career. You can read her story here.

Modernising the NMBI

NMBI CEO, Sheila McClelland is featured in the latest edition of Eolas magazine which is also available online. Ms McClelland talks about the modernisation plan at NMBI, how the organisation responded to the Covid-19 pandemic and the importance of the new registration system.

You can read the article here.

Vaccine roll-out for frontline health workers

Nurses and midwives will be among the first to get the Covid-19 vaccine, the Government has announced.

Residents in nursing homes and staff there are being prioritised, followed by patient-facing healthcare staff.

The full Government vaccination strategy and implementation plan is available here.

Students set for campus return, says Harris

First year degree students are set for a return to college campuses in the New Year, Higher Education Minister Simon Harris has said.

Minister Harris says he is concerned about the “mental health and wellbeing of students sitting at home in the box room, particularly first-years”.

Small group tuition and induction days are being planned. You can read more here.

Theresa is top practice nurse

A Carlow-based nurse has been named Ireland’s Practice Nurse of the Year.

Theresa Lowry-Lehnen is an associate lecturer and full-time nurse at IT Carlow.

She was awarded the honour at the recent Irish Healthcare Awards, and you can read more here at Carlow Live.

Practitioners take to YouTube as Letterkenny UH recruits 120 new staff

Nurses and midwives at one hospital have turned to YouTube in a bid to find new colleagues.

The initiative is part of a campaign by Letterkenny University Hospital in Co Donegal to recruit staff to 120 new posts, hoping to attract ex-pat practitioners back to the North West.

This is the hospital’s largest recruitment campaign in its history, with positions available across nursing specialities, midwifery, consultant and non-consultant hospital doctor specialities, laboratory, radiology and pharmacy, physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy. There are also opportunities for Health Care Assistants and administration and support staff. 

Deirdre Diver, Advanced Nurse Practitioner in the Endoscopy Unit at LUH said: “I came to Letterkenny University Hospital in 1989 and trained here as a student. I have worked as a Staff Nurse, Clinical Nurse Manager, Clinical Nurse Specialist and now I am an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Gastroenterology/ Nurse Endoscopist.

“Over these years I have had excellent educational support from Letterkenny University Hospital.  As a Nurse Endoscopist, I carry out gastroscopies and colonoscopies and participate in the multidisciplinary team. As a teaching hospital, Letterkenny University Hospital promotes a culture of education, innovation, and growth.  We have strong working relationships here in Letterkenny University Hospital and it is a great place to work.”

Commenting Natasha Mooney, Staff Midwife Letterkenny University Hospital said: “I have been working as a Midwife in LUH for seven years. I am originally from Killybegs but I trained in Dundalk Institute of Technology and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda. I came back to Donegal in 2013. We have a great unit here; we have a brilliant team of doctors and midwives and a good multi-disciplinary team. We have approximately 1,700 deliveries per year and have both consultant-led and midwifery-led units.  We have a Perinatal Mental Health Midwife and a Bereavement Midwife, and we are currently recruiting a midwife who is a specialist in lactation (breastfeeding). The team also includes an Advanced Midwife Practitioner and midwives that carry out sonography. There are great opportunities to develop as a midwife here in LUH and Letterkenny itself is a really great town.”

The hospital has now commenced an unprecedented recruitment via the Saolta website.

Watch hospital staff talk about their experience of working in Letterkenny University Hospital on the YouTube link here.

Readers should note that advice is changing regularly as a result in a rise in the number of Covid-19 cases and the latest information is posted to gov.ie.

Ireland is moving to Level 5

Level 5 restrictions have been announced by the government and will come into affect nationally from midnight 24 December until 12 January 2021. Here is the announcement from Tuesday, 22 December.

Keeping well this winter campaign

The Keeping well this winter campaign is running across many media channels including TV, digital and social, radio and local press. The HSE has also distributed a Keeping well this winter guide with lots of tips and advice to two million households in Ireland.

This year the HSE is encouraging people, particularly our older population and those caring for them, to prepare for their winter health needs as best they can and to know that the health service is available when they need it. Please see the information pack containing details of the new campaign. Information and resources are also available here.

New Visitation Guidance for Nursing Homes

On 30 November 2020, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) published new COVID-19 Guidance on Visitations to Long Term Residential Care Facilities. The new guidance aims to further support long-term residential care services (including nursing homes) and residents in planning visits across all levels of the framework for restrictive measures in the Government’s Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19. The new guidance also includes further advice recognising that major cultural or religious festivals, such as Christmas, are of significance for residents and their families.

Managing a Covid-19 infection at home

This HPSC guidance is available here.

New Covid-19 webpage for staff working in residential care settings

If you deliver care to older people in a residential care setting, please check out the new webpage. This has been set up as a central point of contact for residential care facilities to access up to date clinical guidance, information, and links to inform care and supports in these settings.

Information leaflet for new Traveller mothers

The HSE and Pavee Point have developed a leaflet for new mothers about Covid-19 and how to protect themselves and their babies, and what to do if they have symptoms. The ‘Information for Pavee Mothers and Babies’ leaflet is available here.

Covid-19 Guidance for Religious Services

This HPSC guidance is available here.

Irish Sign Language (ISL) videos on Self-isolation and Restricted Movements

A number of helpful videos are available to view through the links below.

• ISL self-isolation (stay in your room)
• restricted movements (stay at home)
• self-isolation, restricted movements and the differences between them.

These videos, along with other resources, are all available on the COVID-19 Deaf and Hard of Hearing Communications Resources page.

HSE and Age Action launch older-age friendly guide to Covid Tracker App

On Tuesday, 8 December 2020, the HSE and Age Action Ireland launched an older-age friendly guide – How to Use the COVID Tracker App. The guide is part of Age Action Ireland’s Getting Started KIT which supports learning and the use of technology and digital services. People can also contact Age Action Ireland by phone on 01 873 0372 and they will post a free copy of the guide.

Covid-19: Interim recommendations for sports activities for children and adolescents in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic

This document, available to download here, summarises interim recommendations for sport for children and adolescents up to 18 years old during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Covid-19 World Service: Translate Ireland from Covid19 World Service, provides updated multilingual Covid-19 video messages. All scripts have been approved by the Irish College for General Practitioners. Please also see the HSE’s National Social Inclusion Office Migrant Resource page and all HSE COVID-19 translated resources. 

Public Health Information

For the most up to date information and advice on Coronavirus, please click here.

Clinical and professional guidance relating to Covid-19 is available on the HPSC website where you’ll find up to date guidance for healthcare settings and non-clinical settings.

Please check here for the most up to date partner resources for Covid-19.

Please also check the Healthy Ireland website for further resources and information on the Keep Well campaign.

The 100^th edition of the HPRA Drug Safety Newsletter is out now and includes information on the following:

• Introductory article written by the Pharmacovigilance Manager, Ms Niamh Arthur, on the occasion of the 100^th edition of the DSN
• Optimising safe and effective use of medicines in clinical practice through proactive risk management
• Adverse reaction reporting
• Product information for medicines
• Registering with the HPRA for safety alerts and updates

For further details please visit the HPRA website.

Pictured: Elaine Fallon

Across the year, to mark the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, we have been shining a light on the valuable and important work of nurses and midwives.

We would like to thank all of you who sent in your stories and pictures to celebrate International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.

In the final issue of our series, we speak to Elaine Fallon, Saolta Group Lead – Staff Engagement and Staff Wellbeing, Saolta University Health Care Group, HSE.

Our interview with Elaine

Why did you choose a career in nursing/midwifery?

I began my career in 1983, particularly because I enjoyed being with people. I was interested in looking after and caring for people, especially when they are at their most vulnerable, but I wanted that professional edge, hence my training to be a registered nurse. I then wanted to work with women and their families, and be part of that special journey of starting their families, having babies, so I trained as a registered midwife.

Why do you think it’s important to celebrate the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife? What message would you like to send in this context to your team or your profession in general?

Celebrating the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife is about recognising and acknowledging the important contribution that nurses and midwives make to families all around the world. It’s a special connection that we have with people, based on our professionalism, our unique skills and our ability to be there with people at their most vulnerable and important points in their life journeys.

How have you made a difference as a nurse/midwife?

I feel very privileged and honoured to have looked after thousands of people from all walks of life throughout my career, but for me, it’s also about the many colleagues that I have met and worked with over the last 37 years.

I believe passionately in staff engagement and staff wellbeing. As part of my current role, I am working with staff and management to highlight the importance of acknowledging and recognising all staff, facilitating them in making a difference in their workplace through effective communication, collaboration and involvement in decision making.

Do you have a memory in your job that really stands out?

I have a number of really memorable moments:

Being with someone, caring for and looking after them in their final moments

Being present with every woman whose baby I have delivered, it’s such a special moment and I always used to think “I wonder what this one has come to do”.

Sharing the journey with individual staff members in making a difference in their work places and roles.

Has Covid-19 made a difference to nursing? Are there any positives that you will take with you?

I am always humbled by the way staff just knuckle down and get on with being the best they can be in really difficult circumstances. Often, putting themselves and their families last in order to continue in their working roles. It’s true that adversity really does make people stronger, but we all need to focus on how best to support our colleagues going forward.

If you could, what advice would you give to 19 year old you, starting out?

At 19, you sometimes think you have all the answers, but there is so much to learn about life, especially people, so carefully observe, really listen and be patient with those you come into contact with.