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