Pictured (L to R): Vivienne Browne; Sheila McClelland; Dr Louise Kavanagh McBride and Mairead McGahon
The fourth and final event in the NMB Series – Partnership in Practise took place at The Fairways Hotel, Dundalk on Wednesday, 22 November. The event was jointly hosted by the Regional Centres of Nursing and Midwifery Education, HSE North-East and Dublin North.
Mairead McGahon, Director of CNME Louth/Meath/Cavan/Monaghan welcomed everyone to the event and thanked NMBI for working in collaboration with the CNME on the event.
Dr Louise Kavanagh McBride, President, NMBI opened the final event in the Series 2023, following on from the three successful events in collaboration with the HSE CNMEs in Waterford, Tralee and Galway. She said as the regulator, NMBI’s focus is patient centred and about public protection.
Dr Ray Healy, Director of Registration, NMBI gave a presentation on the State of the Register 2023. (The report was published the following day.) It shows a total of 79,489 nurses and midwives currently practising in Ireland. The figure represents a 5% increase in the number of practising, compared to 75,871 last year. The report is a useful tool for workforce planning as it outlines the trends amongst registrants.
This year’s report is particularly valuable to NMBI and our healthcare colleagues as we can now provide a comparison to last year and identify areas of growth and potential gaps.
Pictured above: Attendees of the NMBI Series 2023 in Dundalk
Sheila McClelland, CEO NMBI said we need to look at smarter ways of the retention and recruitment of nurses and midwives.
Mairead McGahon, Director of CNME Louth/Meath/Cavan/Monaghan and Vivienne Browne, Director of CNME Dublin North outlined the education and development courses on offer for nurses and midwives in the region.
The point was made that said when assessing what is on offer, in terms of Continuous Professional Development, we should keep in mind the words of Florence Nightingale who said: We must be learning all of our lives.
Pictured (L to R): Mairead McGahon and Vivienne Browne
Paraphrasing WB Yeats Dr Louise Kavanagh McBride, President, NMBI, said education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. “We need to foster and nurture our graduates,” she said.
Carolyn Donohoe, Director of Education, Policy and Standards, NMBI delivered a presentation on Health and Wellbeing for nurses and midwives, while Tara Kearns and Lorraine Savage, HSE Health Promotion Officers showcased the health and wellbeing initiatives on offer to registrants in the region.
Pictured (L to R): Lorraine Savage; Tara Kearns and Carolyn Donohoe
Pictured (L to R): Orla Crowe and Angela Walsh
Orla Crowe, Director Fitness to Practise, NMBI and Angela Walsh, Fitness to Practise Officer, gave a presentation on the Fitness to Practise complaints process and the compassion project.
Bringing the Series to a close Dr Louise Kavanagh McBride, President, NMBI underlined the importance of committing time to release staff for education and training and how change brings with it many opportunities. She described the four events as a “wonderful showcase, reflective and food for thought.”
The event in Dundalk was filmed by Visual Narrative and can be watched back on our YouTube channel.
Pictured above: Attendees of the NMBI Series 2023 in Dundalk
Photography by Aaron Stork. Stork Media.
