2023 has been a busy year for NMBI and the Board.

As a regulator, we remain committed to our work to protect the public and the integrity of the professions by regulating nurses and midwives in Ireland, and we will continue to carry out our key functions to deliver on our statutory remit.

As Louise mentioned in her message, this year we published our new statement of strategy which covers the period 2023 to 2025. Our strategy is ambitious and we remain committed to supporting you, our registrants and collaborating with our key stakeholders. Our strategic priorities over the next three years focus on protecting, promoting and progressing the nursing and midwifery professions. This will be supported through partnership and technology.

Throughout the year we continued to engage with registrants, colleagues and key stakeholders.

In May, we were delighted to hold the 'Conversations on Nursing and Midwifery Regulation' forum in collaboration with the Chief Nursing Officer at the Department of Health. The forum was a great opportunity for us, as an organisation, to discuss the challenges and future of the professions. It was attended by more than 75 of our international regulatory colleagues, as well as the Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), the ONMSD, the INMO and Directors of Nursing and Midwifery, Heads of School in education bodies and representatives from hospital groups across the country. I would like to thank the Chief Nursing Officer at the Department of Health, Rachel Kenna and her office who worked in collaboration with us to host the event.

This year we published our State of the Register report for the second time. I am pleased to say that there are now almost 85,000 nurses and midwives on our Register. The report provides a breakdown of the number of nurses and midwives registered in Ireland and the data aims to inform workforce planning models. The 2023 report has allowed us to provide comparison data to assist in identifying areas of growth and potential gaps to ensure that the Irish healthcare system is equipped to meet current and future needs.

I would like to thank our President, Louise and the Board of NMBI for all their guidance and support throughout the year. Their work enables us to carry out our functions effectively and effectively.

This year we were delighted to earn the Great Place to Work® certification. Our staff members took part in the Great Place to Work Survey® which allowed them to provide their feedback on the working culture in NMBI. Based on their feedback, we received high scores across areas such as management and leadership, communication and involvement, recognition, engagement and culture. This has been a great achievement for the organisation and I would like to take the opportunity to recognise my colleagues on the Senior Management Team and the staff of NMBI for all their work and achievements.

We understand the challenges facing nurses and midwives across the Irish health service and I would like to sincerely thank them for their continued dedication to patient care.

I would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and every success in the New Year.