As we approach the Christmas season, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to every nurse and midwife across Ireland for your extraordinary commitment throughout the year. Your professionalism, compassion and resilience continue to shape the highest standards of care in our health system.

This time of year, offers a moment to pause and appreciate the collective effort that strengthens our professions and support the public we serve.

As I reflect on 2025, I am filled with a profound sense of pride and optimism. This year has been one of steady progress, marked by significant achievements in public protection, professional development and strategic innovation.

Education and standards development

One of the most significant milestones of 2025 was the launch of the updated Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives in February.

This new Code reflects the evolving realities of modern healthcare, strengthens the principles that underpin safe and ethical practice and provides clearer guidance for registrants. The launch marked a major step forward in supporting professional judgement, enhancing public trust and guiding practice for years to come. Its development was shaped by extensive consultation with nurses, midwives, educators, employers and members of the public ensuring it truly reflects the values and expectations of those we serve.

We collaborated closely with education partners to update the undergraduate pre-registration standards and requirements for nursing and midwifery programmes. The revised edition will reform entry to the Register standards for future graduates to ensure they equipped with the skills and competencies needed in an evolving health environment.

Our pilot of the Professional Competence Scheme continued in healthcare sites across the country. The pilot represents an important step toward supporting ongoing professional development for nurses and midwives. Working closely with pilot sites, we have been evaluating practical models for maintaining competence and the insights gained will inform the design of a future scheme that promotes lifelong learning, enhances professional accountability and strengthens public confidence in the professions.

Registration and digital transformation

The hard work of our Registration Department has been clear this year and one of the highlights of 2025 has been the continued expansion of our Register, reflecting the vital role nurses and midwives play in Ireland's healthcare system. Our annual State of the Register 2025 report, published in November, reveals a robust picture and as of 1 June 2025, there were 92,385 registrants, a 3% increase from the previous year and the highest number of nurses and midwives on our Register.

We welcomed 1,649 newly qualified Irish-educated nurses and midwives to the Register and also welcomed 3,487 internationally educated professionals. These figures are more than numbers; they represent a workforce equipped to meet Ireland's healthcare demands.

Our Digitisation team have also done incredible work, successfully launching our enhanced MyNMBI portal. The digital portal for registrants, applicants and education bodies has been streamlined to deliver faster, more intuitive services, and improve the registration and annual renewal processes. I am immensely proud of what the team have achieved.

Strengthening regulation and public protection

Public protection is our core imperative and this year, we continued to modernise our regulatory frameworks to ensure they remain strong, transparent and responsive to the needs of the public and the professions. Key improvements to our Fitness to Practise processes helped streamline timelines, enhance communication, and support all participants with greater clarity and consistency.

Building on our upstream regulation focus, we continued our work to provide compassionate support for anyone involved in the FTP process. In 2025, NMBI placed a strong emphasis on strengthening the supports available to individuals involved in the fitness to practise process. Recognising the personal and professional impact that participation in a regulatory process can have, we advanced several initiatives to ensure that all witnesses are treated with dignity, clarity and compassion.

These developments reflect our ongoing commitment to ensuring that the fitness to practise process is fair, transparent and sensitive to the needs of all participants, while maintaining the integrity of the regulatory system and the central objective of protecting the public.

Fostering engagement and partnerships

Throughout 2025, we deepened engagement with our registrants and stakeholders. Through consultations, forums and events, we ensured that the voices of nurses and midwives remain central to regulatory development.

It is with genuine gratitude and deep respect that I mark the end of Dr Louise Kavanagh McBride’s term of office as NMBI President. 

Louise has provided exceptional leadership and has led with calm authority and an unwavering focus on public safety. Her ability to balance progressive reform with the highest standards of governance has been remarkable. Equally importantly, she has been an outstanding advocate for our registrants, consistently highlighting their skill, dedication and central role in Ireland’s health service. 

On a personal note, it has been a privilege to work alongside Louise. Her support has been invaluable and the culture of collaboration she has fostered across the organisation will endure long after her presidency ends. 

From all at NMBI, we wish her continued success in the future.

I would also like to extend my congratulations to Áine Lynch who was recently elected as our new President and I look forward to working with her as she guides the organisation through the next phase of development.

Finally, I would like to extend my deepest thanks to every nurse, midwife, educator, employer and all our stakeholders whose passion fuels our work. Together, we have not only regulated but elevated our professions, ensuring safe, compassionate care.

From all at NMBI, we wish you a very happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year filled with health, fulfilment and renewed energy.

Thanks,

Carolyn