On Tuesday, 18 April, we attended the All-Ireland Maternity and Midwifery Festival in The Helix, DCU alongside midwives, midwifery students, academics and policy-makers.

Our CEO, Sheila McClelland gave the keynote address at the event on the evolving role of the midwife in Ireland. During her presentation, Sheila discussed policy changes at national and international level, highlighting the World Health Organization’s State of the World’s Midwifery 2021 report which detailed a global shortage of 900,000 midwives.

Sheila also highlighted the need for evidence-based workforce planning and shared the data we have on midwives from the Register of Nurses and Midwives. At the end of 2022, there were 9,816 midwives on our Register and of these 4,913 are practising. During 2022, 267 midwives joined the Register for the first time, with 210 having graduated in Ireland, 29 coming from the EU and a further 28 from outside the EU.

Our Director of Professional Standards – Midwifery, Dawn Johnston, also attended the event and met with midwives, midwifery students and other stakeholders.

Other speakers at the event included Mary Brosnan, Director of Midwifery and Nursing, National Maternity Hospital Dublin; Angela Dunne, Infant and Child Development Lead, HSE; Verena Wallace CBE, Senior Midwifery Advisor (Policy) Professional Practice Directorate, Nursing and Midwifery Council and the morning session was chaired by Lynda Moore, Executive Member for Midwifery, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

Learn more about the event here.