The HSE’s Covid-19 vaccination programme has been expanding in scale and pace since the rollout began in December 2020 and now students in health professions are being recruited to join the vaccinator workforce. These students will be contributing to the national effort and playing a key role in protecting the population.

NMBI supports the administration of the Covid-19 vaccine(s) by student nurses and midwives whose name is entered on the candidate register of NMBI and are:

• entering 3rd year in autumn 2021
• entering 4th year in autumn 2021
• currently in 4th year or awaiting exam results (4th year).

The legislation (S.I. 245 of 2021 – Medicinal Products (Prescription and Control of Supply) (Amendment) (No.7) Regulations 2021) provides for vaccines to be administered as part of the vaccination programme under medicine protocols, developed, approved and signed off nationally by the HSE.

All vaccinators are required to complete Covid-19 vaccine-specific training provided by the HSE, and to support this, a guidance document has been developed for the administration of vaccines by student vaccinators in centralised vaccination clinics (CVCs).

The Covid-19 Induction, Supervision, and Competency Assessment and Practice Protocol for Students as Vaccinators provides information on the following areas:

• the process, roles, and responsibilities of preparing students as vaccinators to undertake the role of vaccinator under the direction of specific Covid-19 medicines’ protocols (at CVCs only)
• guidance and relevant documentation to monitor, assess and support the students as vaccinators in CVCs
• the key components of training that are required for each student to become a vaccinator in order for them to be able to vaccinate safely and in accordance with the practice protocol
• promotion of quality, safety, and standardisation in the administration of Covid-19 by students as vaccinators in CVCs.

NMBI has published the second edition of the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives (the Code) to embrace recent legislative changes.

The purpose of the Code is to guide nurses and midwives in their day-to-day practice and help them understand their professional responsibilities in caring for patients in a safe, ethical and effective way. The new updates provide for the inclusion of several legislative changes that have occurred since its publication in 2014. The format of the Code continues to reflect principles and is values-based, with the supporting Standards of Conduct.

Updates for the second edition (2021) include:

• Considerations of relevant Irish legislation enacted since 2015:

• Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act 2015
• Civil Liability (Amendment) Act 2017
• Data Protection Acts 1988-2018
• Freedom of Information Act 2014
• Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018
• United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2007 (ratified by the Irish Government in 2018)

• Principle 1 – respect for the dignity of the person:

• Revision and additions to the standards of conduct related to termination of pregnancy and conscientious objection; and capacity
• Additional supporting guidance for capacity

• Principle 2 – Professional responsibility and accountability:

• Revision to the standard of conduct relating to health and safety of patients and personal safety
• Update to the standards of conduct relating to conscientious objection.

• Updated references and resources.

The updated Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives is available here.

Professor Michael Rigby has joined the Board of NMBI, after being nominated by the Health Information and Quality Authority.

Professor Rigby has held professorial posts in the UK, Ireland, and Sweden and has extensive experience in health service development and delivery, and in research into health policy and management.

His particular areas of interest are preventative services, child health, mental health, and integrated care, and he has undertaken projects with the WHO, European Commission, OECD, and European Science Foundation.

Professor Rigby has written extensively on health research and policy, and health information systems. He has co-edited a number of books, most recently on Evidence Based Health Informatics and on Primary Health Care for Children in Europe.

He is currently a member of the Board of HIQA, the National Screening Advisory Committee and the Roster of Experts appointed to support the WHO Digital Health Technical Advisory Group.

Professor Rigby said “I’m delighted to take up this position on the Board of the NMBI. I look forward to working with the Board and using my experience in health service development and delivery, as well as my background in health policy and digital health systems, to contribute to the important work of the regulator.”

Professor Rigby fills the position held previously by Kathleen Lombard, and NMBI would like to thank Kathleen for her service to the Board.

On 14 May NMBI said a fond farewell to our great colleague Dr Judith Foley RGN, RCN, RNT, BNS, MEd, PG Cert Psychology, EdD, FFNMRCSI. Judith was part of the NMBI team for 18 years, working as an Education Officer and spending 5 years as Director of Education Standards for Nursing.

Through her knowledge, experience, dedication and commitment Judith made a vitally important contribution to the work of NMBI and has left a lasting impact on the organisation.

Judith has had a long and distinguished nursing career in clinical practice, education, and regulation, during which public protection and public safety were at the heart of all she did. 

As a proud children’s nurse Judith managed the process to set the standards for the integrated General and Children’s programmes that commenced in 2006. This process required a great deal of work, commitment and negotiation on her behalf to ensure the programme reflected service needs and most importantly the needs of children in Ireland. Following the evaluation of the undergraduate programme, Judith developed the current undergraduate standards and requirements that were implemented in 2018.  With her interest in education standards, she managed the groups that set the one-year post-graduate programmes for psychiatric and children’s nursing and most recently the standards for post-registration intellectual disability nursing. Following extensive consultation with the education and clinical stakeholders, Judith also initiated the National Clinical Assessment tool to ensure students achieve the required competencies to register with us and she worked to ensure students were supported to do this. During her time with NMBI, Judith travelled the country conducting site visits and recently, in response to Covid-19, she organised the NMBI’s first virtual site inspection.

All at NMBI would like to thank Judith for everything she has done for the organisation and the nursing profession, and we wish her the very best for the future.

A new National Quality Clinical Learning Environment audit tool and guidelines have been designed for use in all higher education institutions (HEIs) and associated healthcare providers (AHCPs) where pre-registration nursing and midwifery students are placed during their training. 

The audit tool and guidelines were developed by a working group composed of representatives from HEIs, AHCPs, Trade Unions and NMBI professional standards and education staff. In developing the audit tool, NMBI conducted an extensive literature review, a review of clinical learning environment audit tools and a public consultation. NMBI received submissions from nurses, midwives and educators working in HEIs and AHCPs and these informed the final draft of the audit tool and guidelines.

Both documents have been developed with reference to research evidence on the pivotal role of the nurse and midwife in pre-registration student teaching and learning in the clinical environment. The audit tool was designed for HEIs, in collaboration with the AHCPs, to determine the suitability of the clinical learning environment for students.

These documents are now available on the NMBI website.

NMBI has developed a new audit tool to support short clinical placements for pre-registration nursing and midwifery students during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Following a review of the current process for auditing selected short clinical placements a new method was identified to support learning opportunities for students.

The Abridged CLE Audit Tool for Short Placements (2-3 weeks) during Covid-19 Pandemic was developed in partnership with higher education institutions (HEIs) and associated healthcare providers (AHCPs), the Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD) HSE, and the Department of Health.

The audit tool is now available on the NMBI website. 

NMBI has launched the first edition of standards and requirements for Intellectual Disability Nurse Post Registration Education Programmes.

These new standards and requirements provide guidance for higher education institutions and associated healthcare providers for the preparation of curricula and delivery of Intellectual Disability Nurse post-registration education programmes.

Developed at the request of the Department of Health, the standards and requirements are in line with the indicative content and learning outcomes of the NMBI Nurse Registration Programmes Standards and Requirements (2016). Their development involved significant consultation and discussion with registrants, relevant heads of nursing and curriculum leads, other key stakeholders and public representative groups over an extended period.

As with other post-registration courses, students undertaking the one-year Intellectual Disability Nurse Post Registration Education Programme must be nurses whose name is recorded on at least one of either the General, Children’s or Psychiatric division of the NMBI Register.

You may access the standards and requirements here.

5 May has been recognised and celebrated as International Day of the Midwife around the world for many years. This year, for the second year in a row, we marked the day amid a global pandemic.

Midwives play a vitally important role in Irish society, providing support to women and their families at a time of profound change in their lives.

Covid-19 has brought many new challenges but colleagues around the country have risen to those challenges, working tirelessly to reach all those who need them, particularly the most vulnerable. 

Over the past year midwives have been there to support women and their families as they dealt not just with the joy and change of motherhood, but also with the anxieties and challenges brought about by this pandemic.

These have been challenging times but what is most noticeable is the ways in which midwives have adapted during the pandemic to ensure that women and their babies are safe and that they continue to get the best care. This has meant many modifications, including more care in the community and an increase in home births.

The International Day of the Midwife gives us all the opportunity to think again about our values, as noted in the Practice Standards for Midwives (NMBI, 2015).

So, although much in our lives has changed over the past year for midwives some things remain the same. Midwives continue to have ongoing respect for questions and the provision of non-judgmental answers, enabling women to make informed choices. Midwives can still work in partnership with women, they can advocate, they can ensure that all concerns, fears and worries are heard and supported, as they should be. This is more vital than ever in these challenging times.

Providing care in a pandemic is very testing for midwives, and all healthcare professionals, but midwives, collectively and individually, have an abundance of resilience and I am confident that will ensure they do not lose sight of the core values.

In the meantime, do celebrate the work of midwives, stay safe and remember the fundamental contribution midwives make to Irish society.

The HSE launched a campaign to encourage people to consider midwifery as a career, which generated media coverage. You can read more here.

To mark the International Day of the Midwife NMBI CEO, Sheila McClelland created a video message of support for nurses across Ireland. You can watch the video here.

Each year May 12 is celebrated globally as International Nurses Day, to coincide with the birth of Florence Nightingale. Nightingale was best known as the founder of modern nursing and for her efforts to reform healthcare by improving hygiene practices and using evidence to improve practice.

This year’s theme was Nurses: A Voice to Lead - A vision for future healthcare and was focused on the changes in nursing and the innovations which will shape the future of healthcare. 

Anne-Marie Ryan, Director of Professional Standards and Education, Nursing at NMBI said ‘International Nurses Day give us the opportunity to acknowledge the vital role played by nurses both in Ireland and abroad and to celebrate their achievements’.

‘Since the global pandemic began, nurses have proven their great commitment to patient care in what is a very challenging environment, and I would like to pay tribute to the work they have done and continue to do. Nurses have been on the frontline during Covid-19 and there has never been a more important time to acknowledge their dedication to the provision of healthcare in Ireland.’

To mark International Nurses Day 2021, NMBI in collaboration with the Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD), HSE, have created video messages of support to nurses across Ireland.

You can watch the videos through the links below.

• NMBI CEO, Sheila McClelland
• Personal messages from nurse leaders and frontline staff celebrating International Nurses Day

To read more click here.

Final Evaluation Report demonstrated the many benefits of Advanced Nursing Practitioners

The Final Evaluation Report on the Impact of Implementing the Draft Policy on Graduate, Specialist and Advanced Nursing Practice (DOH, 2017) has been published.

The independent evaluation of the policy implementation, commissioned by the Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD), HSE was led jointly by Trinity College Dublin and University College Cork. The evaluation examined the specific impact of Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANP) on service challenges using several key indicators such as access to services, waiting lists, avoidance of unnecessary hospital admissions, improved patient flow and support for early discharge from hospital.

The policy was implemented across the four service areas of older persons, unscheduled (ED), respiratory and rheumatology care and evaluated through the work of 124 ANPs appointed to these areas of services with known challenges.

The report demonstrated the positive impacts for patients and services through implementation of ANP roles, for example, each ANP removes on average 3.9 patients per week from specialist waiting lists; on average 4.3 patients per ANP are avoiding hospital admission on a weekly basis and there is a reduction in overall Patient Experience Times (PET) of up to 2 hours 43 minutes for patients seen in emergency care areas which include ANPs as part of the care delivery model.

You can read the report here.

Funding of €1.58m provided for 24 additional Lactation Consultants

The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly has provided additional funding of €1.58m to the HSE to fund 24 additional lactation consultants thereby providing support to every maternity unit in the country.

Announcing this extra funding, Minister Donnelly said: “This year, Healthy Ireland and Sláintecare are making a significant investment towards implementing the National Breastfeeding Action Plan. We all know how important it is that our children get the best possible start in life and this is something all Government partners have prioritised in the Programme for Government.

“Ireland has a culture of bottle feeding and in order to improve child and maternal health, as well as reducing childhood obesity we need to improve our breastfeeding rates. This funding will provide for Lactation Consultants across hospital and community settings to ensure timely skilled assistance for mothers who wish to breastfeed. It will also support enhanced training, skills and knowledge to frontline staff.”

You can read more about it here.

Reeves Day Surgery Centre officially opened at Tallaght University Hospital

The Minister of Health, Stephen Donnelly has officially opened the Tallaght University Hospital Reeves Day Surgery Centre.

The new facility aims to increase elective day surgeries and eliminate long wait times for routine day surgery.

Commenting at the opening of the new centre, Minister Donnelly said: “this new infrastructure will provide Tallaght University Hospital with the ability to separate elective and emergency care and therefore the opportunity to dramatically reduce waiting lists, offering patients the right care, in the right place, at the right time. These new surgeries are just one small element of the considerable progress that has already been made with Sláintecare implementation.”

A joint project carried out by Tallaght University Hospital and IRES, the new facility is part of a five-year strategy in response to the changing direction of health care in Ireland.

The full article is available here.

The Health Products Regulatory Authority has published the 103rd edition of its Drug Safety Newsletter. The special edition includes information about the EMA review of very rare cases of thrombosis in combination with thrombocytopenia following the Covid-19 vaccine Janssen.

For further details please visit the HPRA website.

As we continue our series highlighting the committed work of nurses and midwives in Ireland, this month we talk to Olivia Somers, CMS Lactation Specialist at Portiuncula University Hospital.

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

Why did you choose a career in nursing/midwifery?

Caring was second nature to me growing up. Having had a brother with Muscular Dystrophy the caring role was instilled in me and my siblings from a very young age.

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

Yes, nursing was my first choice of career. I worked in a nursing home once I turned 16 and knew that nursing was the career for me. I found the role of caring for others in need very rewarding. I’m not sure what else I would have chosen other than nursing, but it would have to have been something where I could help other people. I could never visualise anything else.

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

I’m very proud to know I’ve made a difference to many people’s lives during my career to date. From delivering a newborn and checking for its first breath, to holding the hand of someone giving their final breath, I have provided support at all levels.

As a young nurse I was drawn to the area of women’s health. I pursued this and subsequently trained as a midwife. I believe my biggest impact was over the last year as I moved into the breastfeeding support role, which I feel was my niche. Having had 3 children myself and breastfeeding them all, I have seen first-hand the benefits of this and I have been blessed to be able to assist and empower other mums and mums-to-be on their breastfeeding journeys.

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

My most recent memory that stands out the most is receiving positive feedback from a first-time mother who was empowered at the breastfeeding antenatal class to be the advocate for her and her baby’s breastfeeding journey. Knowing I have made a difference to support their breastfeeding journey is very rewarding. 

How has Covid-19 changed midwifery? Are there any positives that you will take with you?

2020 has been a year like no other, we have all had to change and adapt due to Covid-19. Having taken up my new post in breastfeeding support during the pandemic, I had to set up tele-health communications and virtual classes which have been very advantageous to anxious mothers-to-be who can now remain in the comfort of their own homes in these uncertain times.

Another positive outcome from Covid-19, is that it has made us all appreciate the little things in life, the gift of a hug, a smile and the importance of not taking anything for granted.

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

I would tell my 19-year-old self to get out of my own way by not letting the ego take control and to believe in me more! To grasp every opportunity that life brings, to live life to the max and not to overthink things! I would instill the phrase ‘this too shall pass’ when things get tough, and it always does!

If you were given 1 million euro to spend on health, how would you spend it?

I would promote breastfeeding to ensure that every child is given breast milk as their first form of nutrition which will have fantastic benefits for their health now and in the future!

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

Caribbean cruise, back to where we had our honeymoon. With three small children it may be a few years away but someday we’ll return!

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

Dogs Bay, Roundstone, Clifden. Breath-taking views, stunning beaches (sun and heat a prerequisite).