Just 11 days remain to renew your registration for 2021
 

There are just 11 days left for registrants to renew their annual registrations for 2021.

NMBI Director of Registration Nadia Dagash is urging registrants to complete the new MyNMBI online process “sooner rather than later”.

NMBI decided last month to extend the renewal deadline until Sunday, 28 February.


 

There are just 11 days left for registrants to renew their annual registrations for 2021.

NMBI Director of Registration Nadia Dagash is urging registrants to complete the new MyNMBI online process “sooner rather than later”.

NMBI decided last month to extend the renewal deadline until Sunday, 28 February.

“Engagement with our new online system has continued throughout January and early February with more than 66,000 or 86 per cent of our registrants having successfully renewed. We want to thank everyone who has renewed to date,” says Nadia Dagash.

“However we are urging those who haven’t renewed yet to do so as soon as possible. The new way of renewing online takes longer than before as we are collecting new information about work practices and employment settings.

“Whilst most registrants have been able to renew relatively quickly and easily so far, we know that some have found the new system more difficult to navigate. It is important that registrants use a desktop or laptop computer as our system is new and is not yet enabled for mobile or tablet devices.

“We do have supports in place for anyone experiencing difficulty, but I would really urge everyone not to leave their renewal to the last minute. This will allow the Registration Department at NMBI to provide support in a timely manner.”

NMBI has a specialist Email Team to assist registrants through the process.

Anyone needing assistance should email our Registration Department (regservices@nmbi.ie), and to do so as soon as possible.

To help us to handle email queries efficiently, registrants should provide the following information:

  • Name
  • Personal Identification Number (PIN)
  • Detailed description of the query or issues being experienced
  • The email should be sent to regservices@nmbi.ie only (please do not send to multiple inboxes) to allow our staff to answer a query in the shortest timeframe possible.

Our call centre helpline at 1890 200 116 continues to operate Monday to Saturday from 9am until 5.30pm. Please note the call centre will also operate on deadline day, Sunday, 28 February, from 9am until 5.30pm.

We continue to urge registrants to view our video and other guides before renewing as follows:

  • Video showing each step and how to complete it by clicking here
  • Step by step guide by clicking here
  • Answers to FAQs are available by clicking here
Procedures announced for Restoration to the Register for Covid-19 response
 

 

NMBI is working with the HSE and other employers to ensure that nurses and midwives willing to return to healthcare settings to assist with the Covid-19 pandemic response, including the vaccination programme, are temporarily restored to the register for free.


 

NMBI is working with the HSE and other employers to ensure that nurses and midwives willing to return to healthcare settings to assist with the Covid-19 pandemic response, including the vaccination programme, are temporarily restored to the register for free.

Restoration fees of registrants whose registration had been removed from the NMBI Register prior to 1 December 2020 will be waived. All restorees who have engaged with NMBI recently in order to restore their registration will have their fees refunded by NMBI. The aim of this policy is to increase the available workforce to support the Covid-19 response.

NMBI is currently updating the registration system MyNMBI so that, from Monday 1 March 2021, fees will be waived automatically upon restoration.

Retired nurses and midwives who are willing to assist in the vaccination programme should contact the HSE as well as NMBI to identify their availability.  This provision is a key enabler to attracting retired nurses and midwives to temporarily return to the health service to support the vaccine delivery across the mass vaccination centres.

Registrants who restored their registrations and have secured a place of employment are requested to update their employment details on MyNMBI (please log into MyNMBI, Select ‘My Account’ and then ‘My Employment Details’). Please note it is the legal responsibility of registrants to update their employment details.

Those wishing to restore on MyNMBI and needing support with the restoration process can contact the NMBI directly by emailing IEReg@nmbi.ie.

NMBI launches new ‘Plain English’ guide about the complaints process
 

 

A new guide about the NMBI complaints process has been launched.

The publication – Complaints Against Nurses and Midwives, A Plain English Guide – is designed to help nurses and midwives who are subject to a complaint to easily understand the complaints process.


 

A new guide about the NMBI complaints process has been launched.

The publication – Complaints Against Nurses and Midwives, A Plain English Guide – is designed to help nurses and midwives who are subject to a complaint to easily understand the complaints process.

The guide may also be helpful to a person who is making a complaint to understand how NMBI will deal with that complaint.

“The term ‘Plain English’ is a way of writing and presenting information that helps someone understand it the first time they read it or hear it,” explained NMBI Director of Fitness to Practise Colm O’Leary.

“Our new publication uses short clear sentences and uses everyday words.  It does not use small print or unnecessary jargon.

“The guide has been reviewed and approved by the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) and it has been awarded the NALA Plain English logo which indicates that this guide meets international Plain English standards.”

Colm added: “The new guide can be read or downloaded from our website and its existence shared with anyone involved in Fitness to Practise cases.”

 Click here to download the guide.

NMBI is seeking to engage Expert Witnesses
 

 

NMBI would like to invite applications from suitably qualified individuals interested in becoming a member of the Panel of Expert Witnesses working on behalf of the CEO of NMBI and the Fitness to Practise Department.

Whilst expert witnesses are required across all areas of practice, there is a shortage of experts at present in the care of the older person in a Nursing Home/Community Hospital context. 


 

NMBI would like to invite applications from suitably qualified individuals interested in becoming a member of the Panel of Expert Witnesses working on behalf of the CEO of NMBI and the Fitness to Practise Department.

Whilst expert witnesses are required across all areas of practice, there is a shortage of experts at present in the care of the older person in a Nursing Home/Community Hospital context. 

We are seeking individuals who:

  • are currently registered in one or more of the 12 divisions of the Register of Nurses and Midwives maintained by NMBI

  • have a minimum of five years’ post-registration experience in nursing or midwifery (including public, private and voluntary sectors; specialist areas of practice within general, children’s/paediatric, psychiatry/mental health, intellectual disability, older persons (nursing homes and community hospitals) and midwifery) 

  • are currently employed in a senior nursing or midwifery post (Clinical Nurse/Midwife Manager 2 or above) within a practice setting (including Practice Development Co-ordinators, Clinical Facilitators, Assistant Directors of Nursing or Midwifery, Directors of Nursing or Midwifery)

An expert witness is required to give their professional opinion to the Fitness to Practise Committee (FTPC) on a matter arising from a complaint that has been sent forward for an inquiry.

To assist the FTPC, the expert witness is asked to provide their opinion on whether the alleged conduct on the part of a nurse or midwife amounts to professional misconduct, poor professional performance and/or non-compliance with a code of professional conduct.  As such it will be necessary for the expert witness to have the requisite degree of expertise in the discipline and/or specialist area of nursing or midwifery practice to which the complaint relates.

The work of the expert witness typically involves a review of documentation relating to allegations against a nurse or midwife, preparation of a report setting out their opinion and possibly attendance at an inquiry hearing.

Additional information can be found in the Guidance for Expert Witnesses.

Interested individuals should submit a completed Expression of Interest Form – Expert Witnesses and a copy of their CV to: assessors@nmbi.ie

Suitable individuals will be included on the NMBI’s expert witness panel. Please note there is no guarantee of work arising for being placed on the panel.

Statement on website purporting to be a register
 

 

NMBI is aware of a website purporting to be a register of nurses and midwives in Ireland. 

The website is not connected with NMBI. (There is also a disclaimer on the website saying it is not connected.)  


 

NMBI is aware of a website purporting to be a register of nurses and midwives in Ireland. 

The website is not connected with NMBI. (There is also a disclaimer on the website saying it is not connected.)  

However, given the confusion this may cause NMBI wishes to reassure registrants that there has not been a data breach at NMBI and the website concerned appears to be presenting data which was previously accessible publicly and then purporting to represent it as a ‘Register’. The information presented is also inaccurate, in that many of the records are more than six years old and it quotes numbers on divisions that are incorrect. 

As registrants will know, we are required by law to make some information public under the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011, via the Register of Nurses and Midwives. This appears to be the kind of information copied at a time in the past and presented on the website in question. Private personal information has not been accessed. 

Registrants should know that those behind the website concerned generate income from pop-up Google adverts and we would therefore discourage registrants from accessing the site or sharing its details. To this end, NMBI has decided not to name the website concerned. 

NMBI continues to treat the protection of personal data on our systems very seriously and monitors legal and technical developments very carefully. For more information please see our Privacy Statement here.

NMBI works with stakeholders on Covid-19
 

 

The role of nurses and midwives in the targeted Covid-19 immunisation programme has been set out by NMBI and its partners.

The High-Level Task Force on Covid-19 Vaccination and its strategy has been developed by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) and the Department of Health. This has been endorsed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) which has resulted in the development of a targeted immunisation programme for vaccine recipients against Covid-19.


 

The role of nurses and midwives in the targeted Covid-19 immunisation programme has been set out by NMBI and its partners.

The High-Level Task Force on Covid-19 Vaccination and its strategy has been developed by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) and the Department of Health. This has been endorsed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) which has resulted in the development of a targeted immunisation programme for vaccine recipients against Covid-19.

“Nurses and midwives must have received training in the administration of the product as approved by NMBI,” said Anne-Marie Ryan, Director of Education (Nursing) at NMBI.

“The HSE provides governance for registered nurses and registered midwives through the development of medicine protocols for each vaccine included in the Covid-19 vaccination programme.”

NMBI Category 1 approved education programme (5 CEUs) supports registered nurses and registered midwives in the administration of Covid-19 vaccines under medicine protocol.

The HSE Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD) in collaboration with the National Immunisation Office (NIO) develops medicine protocols for the administration of the Covid-19 Vaccines to vaccine recipients under medicine protocol by registered nurses and registered midwives.

The Medicine Protocols apply to:

  • Registered nurses and registered midwives employed by the HSE and HSE Funded Agencies (Section 38s) who are involved in the administration of Covid-19 Vaccine to vaccine recipients under the medicine protocols.

The vaccines can be administered under medicine protocol in:

  • Health Service Providers across the voluntary and statutory services of the HSE and HSE Funded Agencies (Section 38s), non-HSE healthcare facilities and mass vaccination centres.

The following requirements are necessary for registered nurses and registered midwives employed by HSE & HSE Funded Agencies (Section 38s) to administer Covid-19 vaccine under medicine protocol:

  • Be a registered nurse or registered midwife, employed by the HSE and HSE Funded Agencies (Section 38s), on the active register maintained by the NMBI 

  • Completed an approved education programme for registered nurses and registered midwives on the use of Medicine Protocols for the Covid-19 vaccines to vaccine recipients by registered nurses and registered midwives and any updates. This is available on HSELanD and is titled “Covid-19 Vaccination programme for nurses and midwives”. This is NMBI category 1 approved 

  • Completed Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers within the last two years 

  • Completed an Initial anaphylaxis programme National Anaphylaxis Education Programme for Health Care Professionals via HSELanD followed by a one and a half hour classroom based skills workshop (replacing the previous four hour classroom based programme) 

  • Complete subsequent updates every two years via HSELanD Anaphylaxis e-learning programme is available here

  • The nurse/midwife must complete the Competency Assessment Form to administer the Covid-19 Vaccines (this is included as an appendix to each medicine protocol).

The National ONMSD Nursing and Midwifery Immunisation Working Group (education subgroup) has developed an education programme for registered nurses and registered midwives to support the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccination programme. This is NMBI Category 1 approved.

The online education programme consists of recorded PowerPoint presentations, which are accessible on HSELanD,

The education programme is continually updated as new evidence emerges.

A series of 1-hour Question and Answer sessions will be held by remote platform, dates as follows:

  • Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 12.00pm
  • Tuesday 2 March 2021 at 12.00pm
  • Tuesday 9 March 2021 at 12.00pm
  • Tuesday 16 March 2021 at 12.00pm

Those who register for the online education programme can choose the option to attend any of the above dates. The sessions will be facilitated by representatives from the NIO, Centres of Nurse and Midwifery Education (CNMEs) and ONMSD.

HPRA issues advice on Covid-19 vaccines
 

 

The Health Products Regulatory Authority has issued a special edition of its Drug Safety Newsletter which focuses on Covid-19 vaccines and relevant monitoring activities.

The newsletter contains important information on which vaccines have been approved for use in Ireland.


 

The Health Products Regulatory Authority has issued a special edition of its Drug Safety Newsletter which focuses on Covid-19 vaccines and relevant monitoring activities.

The newsletter contains important information on which vaccines have been approved for use in Ireland.

There is also a helpful step-by-step guide on how to report any adverse reactions to vaccines.

You can read the guide on here.

Covid-19 Updates from the Department of Health
 

 

Ireland remains at level 5 restrictions. You can see the measures in place here. Everyone is asked, for the protection of our friends, family and the frontline, to please stay at home.


 

Ireland remains at level 5 restrictions. You can see the measures in place here. Everyone is asked, for the protection of our friends, family and the frontline, to please stay at home.

Covid-19 Vaccination Programme

The vaccination programme continues to be rolled out nationwide, and more than 240,000 vaccines have been administered.  

Daily vaccination data is now available to all on the Covid-19 Data Hub and is on the Covid-19 Tracker App. The data is from 48 hours previously to allow for validation.

The next group (people aged 85 and over) in the Covid-19 vaccine programme were being invited by GPs from Monday, 15 February, bringing the vaccine programme firmly into the community. You’ll find answers to your questions about the vaccination programme here.

Covid-19 Vaccine Registration for frontline healthcare workers

The Covid-19 vaccine registration portal is now available for frontline healthcare workers to register for their vaccine. Frontline healthcare workers who have not already registered for a vaccine are being asked to register their details using the online portal over the coming days. This includes frontline healthcare workers working in direct patient care in:

  • HSE or HSE-funded organisations
  • Private hospitals or clinics
  • Community based not-for-profit and private healthcare providers not directly funded by the HSE.

Before you register, please read the Guidelines for sequencing and registration process for HCW COVID vaccination. This will help you to identify which group you are in. Other healthcare workers will be invited to register when it is their turn - this includes management, administration and other non-patient/service user facing personnel.

Frontline healthcare workers can register here.

Ireland Reads

As part of the Healthy Ireland ‘Keep Well’ campaign and following Slaintecare funding, the recently launched ‘Ireland Reads’ campaign is about promoting the power of reading for enjoyment and wellbeing. Taking some time to relax and do enjoyable things has never been more important, given Covid-19, and there is evidence that reading is a great way to get a sense of escape and boost wellbeing. More details can be found here.

Where to find Covid-19 Vaccination Information

We encourage everyone to read about the Covid-19 vaccine and to get their information from a factual, trusted source – here are the links to the pages with information on the vaccine:

 

Public Health Information

As always, for the most up to date information and advice on Coronavirus, please go to the HSE website and the HPSC website. 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.

You can find the Covid-19 A-Z information from the HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC).

Please also check the Healthy Ireland website here with further resources and information on the Keep Well campaign. You can view the latest information on how Ireland is responding to cases of Covid-19 here.

Ireland’s Covid-19 Data Hub is available here.

News Round
 

 

This month’s news round up features stories including:

  • RCSI to stream 40th Annual Nursing and Midwifery Conference
  • Nurse Nicola part of Ladies gaelic football drive
  • Royal support for Ulster University nursing students

 

RCSI to stream 40th Annual Nursing and Midwifery Conference

A programme of events for the 40th Annual International Nursing and Midwifery Research and Education Conference will be live streamed on five days between Tuesday, 23 February and Wednesday, 3 March 2021.

The theme for this year’s conference is 'Meeting the Needs of Modern Healthcare'.

Global healthcare leaders will explore this theme in sessions on workforce planning, recovery and wellness in a Covid-19 world and service redesign.

NMBI CEO Sheila McClelland is taking part in a panel discussion on Wednesday, 24 February under the theme ‘Recovery and Wellness in a Covid-19 world’.

Attendance at any of the events is free and you can register to attend here.

Nurse Nicola part of Ladies gaelic football drive

Crumlin Children’s Hospital nurse Nicola Ward is part of an effort to increase female participation in sport.

When she’s not caring for patients at the Dublin hospital, Nicola is an ambassador for the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA). The LGFA is separate from the GAA.

The Galway defender – and All-Star winner – graduated from UCD last year. As ambassador she helps players young and older connect with jigsaw, the mental health charity for younger people.

Fellow ambassador Aishling Moloney, the Tipperary star, speaks about their work in the article here.

Are you a registered nurse or midwife doing something special outside your work? Let us know on communications@nmbi.ie.

Royal support for Ulster University nursing students

A First-year nursing student at Ulster University has taken part in a live video chat with Britain’s Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Abigail McGarvey told William and Kate of the challenges she has faced on clinical placement, including the emotional impact of patients being unable to receive visits from their families.

She also spoke about her experience of starting university during a pandemic, and the impact that Covid-19 has had on her ability to socialise and learn with fellow students in person due to lockdown restrictions and a subsequent increase in online learning.

The royal couple also heard about the students’ appreciation for the invaluable experiences they have gained working on the frontline, and the support they received from the university during this challenging period. You can read more on this story here.

Professional Focus

 

 

Deirdre Lang, Director of Nursing/National Lead Older Persons Services, Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director/Clinical and Integrated Programmes


 

As we continue our series highlighting the committed work of nurses and midwives in Ireland by sharing your stories, this month we talk to Deirdre Lang, Director of Nursing/National Lead Older Persons Services, Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director/Clinical and Integrated Programmes.

If you would like to get involved, please complete and send the Professional Focus questionnaire along with pictures to communications@nmbi.ie.

Our interview with Deirdre

 

 

 

Why did you choose a career in nursing/midwifery?

When I was younger my little brother was sickly, with what was later diagnosed as asthma and eczema. Every winter he would have a chest infection or two and I would try and keep him calm when he found it hard to breathe. So when we were asked by the teachers in 5th year what we wanted to be I already knew I wanted to be a nurse. I was 15 at the time and it was just as clear as day that was where I saw myself. I can still visualise that moment.

Was this your first career choice and what would you do if you weren’t a nurse/midwife?

Yes I wanted to be a nurse ever since it was first posed as a serious question in school. If I wasn’t a nurse I think I would be a garda.  

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

I have worked in many different roles over my 30 year career from acute hospital to mental health and for the past 20 years in Older Persons Services. I have worked as a staff nurse, nurse manager, ADON and as a Director of Nursing in the HSE and the private sector. All of that experience has allowed me a wonderful insight into the contribution that gerontological nursing makes to the nursing profession. I would suggest my role now allows me to harness that and to influence the way that gerontological nursing is perceived. I’m extremely proud that nursing has led the way in the development of the National Frailty Education Programme; a multidisciplinary programme that is regarded internationally as a key lever in the development of integrated care for older people.

As I plan on being an older person myself I find being in a position to challenge ageism and the language used to describe older adults is something I am passionate about.

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

I was nursing in Australia; my first role as a staff nurse and an older lady with dementia was admitted. She had sustained a hip fracture, after a fall at home. The consultant came to review her to determine her plan of care, and suggested to me that she was old and as she had advanced dementia had no quality of life, so he wouldn’t be operating. I had admitted the lady, who had come to the ward with her son. He had told me that his mother lived with them in a granny flat they had built onto their house and that she was a wonderful mother and grandmother. I could see first-hand the wonderful relationship they had, even though she wasn’t able to speak.

I knew I had to speak up for this patient. I remember rising up to my full 5 foot 2 inches and informing him that his subjective opinion of the lady’s quality of life was biased and that in fact she had a wonderful life, a member of a family and she was very much loved. I still remember how I felt in that moment. I had trained in a system where the medical opinion was not something a nurse challenged, so I was expecting an admonishment. Instead this doctor discussed my opinion with me and asked what made me feel the way I did. I remember his words to this day. “Thank you; you are correct. I should not judge someone’s quality of life on what I think it should be. We will operate in the morning.” That was the day I found my voice!

How has COVID -19 changed nursing? Are there any positives that you will take with you?

Nursing has demonstrated the significant contribution it makes to healthcare over the past year. It’s been the toughest of times, but I believe that that the skill-set and expert knowledge required to deliver good care to older adults has finally been recognised. The Expert Panel Review of Nursing Homes has made 86 recommendations that will enhance the way care is delivered to older people which makes me hopeful for my future older self.

The use of technology to support care delivery has been unprecedented and the flexibility and creativity that nurses have demonstrated to ensure residents remain connected to their families and can access expert healthcare has been exceptional.

I am extremely proud of my profession; of the sacrifices my colleagues have made to keep their residents safe, to provide dignity at end of life, to support families to say goodbye and to be able to get up and do that day in day out for 12 months.

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

Your 15 year old self was right; this is the career for you. It’s going to be hard but it will be worth it. Shift work will not agree with your social life but it will agree with your life as a mother and the friends you make will be friends for life. When you meet a certain consultant in Australia speak up: it will redefine how you see your role forever.

If you were given one million euro to spend on health, how would you spend it?

I would spend it on the Get Up Get Dressed Get Moving campaign to support the mental and physical health of the nation and to promote healthy life years for older adults. My dream would be to reintroduce day rooms to every ward in every hospital and to employ an activities coordinator for every healthcare setting for older people (my one million is worth 50M in old money).

It’s post-pandemic and you’ve just won a holiday to anywhere in the world! Where would you go and why?

I would go to Rome to sit at the Trevi Fountain with a gelato, to feel the sun on my face and to watch the hundreds of tourists and the police blowing their whistles at those with the audacity to sit on the white marble and the world would feel like it has returned to normality.

Back to reality…. You’ve a week to spend on holidays in Ireland. Where would you go and why?

I would go home and see my family and my dad. My mum died this time last year and I have only seen dear old dad for 3 hours in total in the past year. I would spend my time visiting him and catching up with my brothers, sister and my nieces - and I would eat out every night!

Pictured: Deidre's mother and father

Pictured: Deirdre's mother and father