Earlier this month, our Director of Midwifery, Dawn Johnston retired after a long and established career.  

Dawn first joined NMBI as a Board member in 2015, before taking up the role of Director of Midwifery in 2017. She also served as Acting CEO in 2018 to 2019.   

She has had a long and distinguished career as a midwife, continuing to hold a regular clinical session in a Dublin Maternity Hospital during her time with NMBI.   

In a celebration of her achievements, we held an event at our office in Dublin to bring together many of her colleagues, friends and family from across Ireland and the UK.  

During the event, her colleagues spoke of the huge contribution she has made to the midwifery profession. She was thanked for her compassion, her support and advice, and for her work in promoting the profession.     

Speaking at her retirement, our President, Louise Kavanagh McBride paid tribute to Dawn and thanked her for all she has done for NMBI:  

“Dawn’s knowledge, expertise and passion has been incredible over the years. I joined the Board of NMBI alongside Dawn in 2015 and have always admired the loyalty and support she has shown to her fellow colleagues.        

“I would sincerely like to thank her for professionalism and I can genuinely say that she will be sorely missed. On behalf of the Board, I wish her the very best in the next chapter.”   

Our Director of Education, Policy and Standards, Carolyn Donohoe also extended her best wishes and said: “Since I joined NMBI in 2021, Dawn has been a friend, a colleague and a great support to me. I have really enjoyed working with her and on behalf of all the team members we would like to thank Dawn for kindness, support and advice.”     

In addition to NMBI’s celebration, Dawn was honoured at the International Day of the Midwife Conference on 5 May. In her closing remarks, Margaret Quigley, National Lead for Midwifery in the Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD) in the Health Service Executive praised her for her contribution to the midwifery profession.    

Paying tribute, Margaret said, “Your expertise, passion for midwifery, woman centeredness and your in-depth knowledge of the scope of midwifery practice has motivated many of us, and your advice and guidance over the years has promoted, protected and helped to shape the midwifery profession. Your absence will be felt by all of us in the weeks and months to come”.  

A look back at her career

Dawn began her career in general nursing in Dublin before becoming a midwife.    

After qualifying as a nurse in Ireland, she moved to the UK and studied midwifery. She held a number of clinical and management positions in southern England, including in London where she was one of four midwives who were at the time also Clinical Directors of Women’s Directorates in National Health Service (NHS) hospitals in the UK. Her last role in the NHS was Director of Midwifery and Nursing at Barts Health Trust where there were approximately 16,000 deliveries per year undertaken in five different settings, two of which were stand-alone midwifery led units.  

Dawn is a proud midwife and has always been a champion for new initiatives. Her clinical experience covers all areas of midwifery practice including community and home deliveries, and water births.  

Dawn served for eight years as a Fitness to Practise Panellist at the UK regulatory board, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). She also assisted with reviews of maternity services in England and Wales for the Health Care commission and Health Inspectorate Wales 

She returned to Ireland in 2014 and was appointed Group Director of Midwifery at Saolta University Hospital Group, providing strategic clinical leadership to five maternity units within the group.    

Dawn was a member of the Ireland’s first National Maternity Strategy working group in 2016.   

She holds a number of qualifications including an Advanced Diploma in Midwifery, a Master’s degree from Thames Valley University, a Master’s of Laws (LLM) in Legal Aspects of Medical Practice from Cardiff University, a Diploma in Management Studies and a post-graduate Diploma in Public Regulation. 

Dawn has recently been appointed to the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) professional committee for Europe and will be representing Ireland.   

When we asked Dawn about the highlights of her career, she said that every day has been a great experience and that being with women at such a memorable time of the lives was the most rewarding experience.  

“Midwifery is all about being with women. They should be at the center of everything we do. The birth of a baby is the most significant time in their lives and is a cherished and a long-lasting memory. As midwives, we are always remembered for the significant impact we make to that experience and to have impacted so many women’s lives is a privilege”.  

From all at NMBI, we would like to wish Dawn the very best in the future.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Dawn for her valued contribution to both NMBI and the midwifery profession.

She has achieved so much at NMBI, not only advising and supporting midwives but also advocating for midwives and promoting the future of the profession.

During her time at NMBI, she played a key role in organising a national conference to mark 100 years of regulation in midwifery in 2018, a huge milestone to ensure that midwives and midwifery were celebrated.

She has always worked hard to promote the profession and through the annual student midwife debate, she has encouraged future midwives to broaden their knowledge and understanding of the profession and inspire new thinking.

In recognition of her achievements, I think it’s important that we share her story with our readers. In this issue, you can read our article about Dawn which highlights the work she has done throughout her prestigious career.

It has been a pleasure working with Dawn and on behalf of everyone at NMBI, I wish her the very best for the future.

Pictured (L to R): Dr Louise Kavanagh McBride, NMBI President; Sheila McClelland, NMBI CEO and Rachel Kenna, Chief Nursing Officer, Department of Health

At the beginning of the month, we held a forum called 'Conversations on Nursing and Midwifery Regulation' to discuss the challenges and future for the professions in collaboration with the Chief Nursing Officer at the Department of Health.

The event, which took place on 2 May, was an opportunity to bring together international nursing and midwifery regulators, as well as members of the health and education sectors in Ireland to discuss our shared experiences in regulating and educating the professions.

More than 75 colleagues were in attendance, including representatives from international regulatory bodies such as the National Council of State Boards of Nursing; the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta; the New South Wales Nursing and Midwifery Council; the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives; the College of Nurses of Ontario; the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador. The forum was also attended by our colleagues from the Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), the Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director in the HSE, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), as well as Directors of Nursing and Midwifery, Heads of School in education bodies and representatives from hospital groups across the country.

Opening the event, our President, Dr Louise Kavanagh McBride welcomed attendees and thanked the Chief Nursing Office for their support in hosting the event. She outlined how the forum presents an opportunity to reflect on the shared challenges that nursing and midwifery regulators are facing internationally. 

The Chief Nursing Officer, Rachel Kenna, spoke about the importance of having conversations like those taking place today. She set out the Chief Nursing Office’s (CNO’s) strategy and how they work with NMBI to progress the professions, saying “We have achieved a lot, but there is more to do”.

Our Director of Registration, Dr Ray Healy, set the scene for attendees by sharing the statistics and demographics of our registered nurses and midwives in Ireland, compiled as part of our State of the Register 2022 report.

Attendees then heard from two panel discussions on ‘Evolving regulation internationally’ and ‘Best practice in educating the professions’.

The ‘Evolving regulation internationally’ panel discussion was chaired by our CEO, Sheila McClelland.

Panellists were Muireann Ní Shúilleabháin, President of Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland and NMBI Board member; Christine Penney, Chief Officer Regulatory Policy and Programmes, British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives and Maryann Alexander, Chief Officer Nursing Regulation, National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). The NCSBN is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that supports nursing regulators in their mandate to protect the public. It brings organisations together on matters of common interest and concern affecting public health, safety and welfare, including the development of nursing licensure examinations.

The panel discussed the regulatory model in their jurisdictions, outlining the standards and requirements to become a registrant and the main challenges they faced. The future of regulation was discussed, including the movement of nurses into the aesthetics industry and the growing telehealth industry where registered professionals are beginning to practise internationally.

The second panel on ‘Best practice in educating the professions’ was chaired by our Director of Education, Policy and Standards, Carolyn Donohoe.

Panellists were Dr Louise Kavanagh McBride, NMBI President and Head of the Department of Nursing and Healthcare at Atlantic Technological University, Donegal; Áine Lynch, NMBI Vice President and Interim Chief Director of Nursing and Midwifery at Dublin Midlands Hospital Group; Catherine Schofield, Practitioner Member (Tasmania), Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and Silvie Crawford, CEO, College of Nurses of Ontario.

The panel discussed the education models for nursing and midwifery internationally, including the various programme lengths, the entry pathways and the balance between clinical practice and theory hours for students. The clinical and academic partnership for educating nurses and midwives in Ireland was highlighted as a key strength for the Irish healthcare system.

The event was closed by our CEO, Sheila McClelland, who thanked all participants for contributing to the discussions and for sharing their challenges, experiences and learnings.

We would like your feedback on the Draft Public Health Nursing Education Programme Standards and Requirements.

We are holding a public consultation to inform the development of the third edition of the standards and requirements for public health nursing education programmes. The draft document aims to provide guidance to education bodies and their practice partners on the delivery of public health nursing education programmes. It aims to ensure that graduates of this programme continue to provide a high level of care within the community and primary care settings.

The standards and requirements have been revised in line with best practice and in consideration of the many changes and challenges facing healthcare and the role of the Public Health Nurse, including changes in healthcare policy as outlined in Sláintecare.

The draft document is now available for your feedback through a short survey. Your contribution to the consultation process is important and we would appreciate your participation.

You can read the draft document here and then take part in the consultation.

The consultation is open for responses until 5pm on Thursday, 22 June 2023

We would like to welcome our new Director of Fitness to Practise, Orla Crowe, who took up the role on 24 April.

Orla is a solicitor with over 11 years of professional experience. She previously worked in the Health and Social Care Department in the legal firm Byrne Wallace, where she specialised in child protection matters. Prior to that, Orla worked as a criminal defence solicitor and as a human rights lawyer in Kosovo and Malawi.  

Orla has always had an interest in the professions of nursing and midwifery, as her mother is a registered nurse who continues to practise in Mayo.

In her first message to registrants, Orla shared her ambitions for the role:

“Considering and investigating complaints about a registered nurse or midwife’s fitness to practise is an essential part of the regulator’s role. However, we also know that it can be a stressful time for those involved in a fitness to practise complaint or inquiry, whether as a registrant or a witness.

“As set out in our Statement of Strategy 2023-2025, we aim to implement a more person-centred approach to complaints against a nurse or midwife. For example, we will soon be launching an emotional support helpline for registrants and witnesses who are involved in a fitness to practise complaint. We also want to ensure that there is learning across the system when it comes to complaints against the professions. To drive this, we are going to compile and publish information on the types of complaints we receive about nurses and midwives. This will allow us to identify trends and areas where further training may be required.

“I also very much wish to engage with anyone who has been involved in the process and wishes to provide feedback. As a team, we hope to reflect on current practise and continuously strive to enhance the process for everyone involved.

“I look forward to leading the Fitness to Practise Department as we work to protect the integrity of the professions.”

This month, we celebrated International Day of the Midwife and International Nurses Day.

To mark the occasions, our Director Education, Policy and Standards, Carolyn Donohoe and our former Director of Midwifery, Dawn Johnston paid tribute to the valuable work our registered nurses and registered midwives do.

The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) selected ‘Together Again: From Evidence to Reality’ as the theme for this year’s International Day of the Midwife celebration.

In a message to midwives, our former Director of Midwifery, Dawn Johnston, reflected on the achievements and challenges midwives have faced over the past year as they continue to work in partnership with women.

She said: “Midwives work with women at a significant time in their lives. Please don’t forget that the birth of a child is a cherished and a long-lasting memory. As midwives, you are always remembered for the significant impact you make to that experience.

“Today allows us all the opportunity to shine a light on the amazing work you and your colleagues do and for the passion, commitment and compassion you show in delivering care to women, their families and their babies.”

This theme of this years’ International Nurses Day was ‘Our Nurses. Our Future.’ It offered a chance to be forward-focused and look towards progressing the profession of nursing.

In her message to fellow nurses, Carolyn thanked our registrants for the invaluable service they provide to service users, patients, clients and residents whether they work in acute or community care settings, in management, policy, research or education.

She said: “Over the past year we finally emerged from the global Covid-19 pandemic and I would like to sincerely acknowledge the hardship experienced by everyone throughout this difficult period. I would also like to express my admiration for the resilience and dedication with which our profession continued to offer the highest standards of care, compassion and commitment”. 

Carolyn also paid tribute to the work of her colleagues in NMBI and said, “I work with a wonderful team in NMBI where we strive to improve education, policy and standards for nursing in Ireland. I am privileged to be in a position to help shape our profession for the future and to help deliver even better outcomes for people in need of healthcare, while maintaining the core of what we do.” 

We have published our draft Customer Service Charter and Action Plan 2023-2025 and are inviting members of the public to provide their feedback through a consultation.

The draft Customer Service Charter outlines the level of service we aim to provide to our customers. We aim to action the Charter within the objectives set out in our draft Customer Service Action Plan 2023-2025.

Both documents have now been published to give you the opportunity to provide your feedback and help shape your customer service experience.

Our CEO, Sheila McClelland, said: “We are committed to delivering a high-quality and efficient customer service to all of our registrants, stakeholders and the public, and value all of your feedback on our service.

“Our Customer Service Charter and Action Plan 2023-2025 have been developed in line with our Statement of Strategy 2023-2025, and the Government's Twelve Guiding Principles of Quality Customer Service for public sector organisations.”

We now want to hear your feedback on these documents and the proposed actions NMBI is taking for 2023-2025. We invite anyone who interacts with us to share your views by completing this short survey here.

The consultation will remain open for feedback until 5pm on 12 July 2023.

On 25 May, we held a webinar on Decision-making in advanced practice for Advanced Nurse and Midwife Practitioners.

Attendees heard from our Director of Education, Policy and Standards Carolyn Donohoe, and Professional Officers Lorraine Clarke Bishop and Mary Devane.

Opening the webinar, our CEO, Sheila McClelland said that she was delighted to see so many nurses and midwives attending. She also spoke about how events like this add to our continued focus on engaging with our registrants.

Speaking about decision-making in advanced practice, Sheila emphasised the important role of registrants and health professionals at all levels, particularly at advanced practice, in delivering healthcare. She said: “Where registrants apply their disciplines in a different setting, we want to make sure that you have confidence and that you understand how you give yourself confidence to operate".

This was followed by a presentation from our Education, Policy and Standards Department, who spoke about the purpose of regulation and decision-making for advanced nurse and midwife practitioners, as set out in the Scope of Practice. It covered the integral role of the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics in day-to-day practice, with particular emphasis on the standards and requirements for advanced practice.

We would like to thank the over 160 attendees for joining the webinar.

For those who were unable to attend, the webinar is available on our YouTube channel.

We are also happy to answer any questions you may have on advance practice. You can contact our Education, Policy and Standards Department at: EducationandGuiance@nmbi.ie.

On 15 June, our CEO, Sheila McClelland will take part in a panel discussion on the ‘Future skills needs for the health sector’ as part of the Irish University Association’s (IUA) Future of Ireland webinar.

The IUA acts as ‘the voice of Irish universities’ and represents, supports and advocates on matters of shared sectoral concern for their members.

The webinar will focus on the key role of universities in producing the talent and skills pool for the health sector.

Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly will also give his perspective on workforce planning for the health sector.

The event takes place between 1.30 and 2.30pm at the Alex Hotel, Fenian Street, Dublin 2 or you can watch online via Zoom.

For more information, visit the IUA website.

We are undertaking a review of the guidance document, ‘Compensation Measures for Nurses Trained Outside of Ireland’ and we would like to hear from our internationally educated nursing colleagues.

We are holding a focus group at NMBI’s office in Blackrock, Dublin on Wednesday, 14 June to inform the review. If you have qualified outside of Ireland, have undertaken an adaptation process in Ireland prior to registering with the NMBI and have registered within the last two years, we would like you to share your experiences with us. This information-gathering exercise will help us to revise the guidance document.

If you are interested in participating in the focus group, you can register your interest by completing our online form. 

The closing date for submitting your interest is Wednesday, 7 June and as places are limited, we would encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

We will continue to improve our processes and your feedback in this review is importance to us.

Our Director of Education, Policy and Standards, Carolyn Donohoe, presented at the Annual Irish DXA Society’s two-day conference this month.  

The meeting took place at the University of Galway on 19 and 20 May. 

Carolyn presented on the Nurses Undertaking the Practical Aspects of Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA) Scanning for Adults Standards and Requirements for Education Programmes, which was published earlier this year. She outlined the development of the standards by an expert working group which included: 

• Ms Maureen Nolan - National Lead for the Implementation and Audit of Nurse and Midwife Referral for Radiological Procedures in the Health Service Executive (HSE)  
• Ms Bernadette Moran - Radiographic Adviser  
• Professor John J. Carey, Certified Clinical Densitometrist, Galway University, President of the Irish DXA Society and consultant Rheumatologist  
• Ms Susan Van Der Kamp, Certified Densitometry Technologist, DVA Clinical Nurse Specialist  

She thanked those who responded to the consultation for their input which contributed to the final version approved by the Board and launched these unique professional standards in February this year. 

You can read the document here.

Our former Board member Denis Murphy presented his research on 'Collaboratively creating a life-cycle approach to professional regulatory board member onboarding' at the Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR) Seventh International Congress on Professional and Occupational Regulation in Dublin.

Our CEO Sheila McClelland chaired the session which was part of the congress Regulatory Research Day on 3 May.

Denis’ research examined the induction of board members to NMBI, following the extensive changes following the enactment of the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011.

You can learn more about the research here.

Earlier this month, our CEO, President and members of our senior management team attended the annual conferences of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation’s (INMO) and the Irish General Practice Nurses Educational Association’s (IGPNEA).

The INMO held their Annual Delegate Conference in Killarney from 3 to 5 May. There were a number of topics discussed and debated in the areas of hospital overcrowding, safety in the workplace and recruitment and retention challenges. Our President, Louise Kavanagh McBride and our CEO, Sheila McClelland was in attendance as well as our Director of Education, Policy and Standards, Carolyn Donohoe and Director of Registration, Ray Healy.

On 12 and 13 May, the IGPNEA held their National Conference in Portlaoise.

Speakers at the ‘stronger and better’ conference included Mary Jordan, IGPNEA National Chairperson; Georgina Basset, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer at the Department of Health; Dr Una Kennedy, GP Advisor to the National Cancer Control Programme and Dr Rachael Comer, Education and Training Manager in the CervicalCheck screening training unit.

The conference offered our Director of Education, Policy and Standards, Carolyn Donohoe and Director of Registration, Ray Healy an opportunity to meet with general practice nurses and discuss the challenges and developments they are facing.

The Office of Nursing and Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD) has launched a professional development planning (PDP) framework. Last year, NMBI was part of the ONMSD’s National PDP Oversight Group.

In 2022, a National PDP Oversight Group was convened by the ONMSD with stakeholder representatives from nursing and midwifery to review the Health Service Executive (HSE) PDP Framework.

Through engagement and collaboration with representatives, national HSE HR and NMBI, the Oversight Group agreed that nurses and midwives employed by the HSE must engage in an annual PDP cycle with their line manager. The National PDP Oversight Group continued into 2023 to collaboratively work on a service implementation plan.

The PDP is a tool that supports the nurse or midwife to identify professional goals. PDP is a continuous development process that facilitates nurses and midwives to engage with their line manager, to identify their professional goals and the supports required to achieve their goals. From this month, the PDP will now be implemented as part of the HSE's Performance Achievement where nurses and midwives engage with their line manager to complete it annually.

A Digital PDP is available on the Nursing and Midwifery hub on HSELanD where all nurses and midwives can create and maintain an online portfolio of their professional development. All you need to start is a HSELanD account. Helpful resources to support you such as the PDP Information Guide and the PDP Framework are available to download from the digital PDP Hub resources section.

NMBI Director of Education, Policy and Standards, Carolyn Donohoe, said: “We believe that the PDP will facilitate nurses and midwives to be proactive in identifying areas where competency can be maintained or where an expansion in their scope of practice would lead to improvement in patient outcomes.”

“The Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives is the overarching structure that informs our framework of professional guidance to registered nurses and midwives. Professional accountability, competency and the quality of professional practice are integral to this structure and NMBI welcomes the incorporation of the Code into the PDP. NMBI is supportive of the PDP Framework and the opportunity it provides registrants to plan and reflect on the standards, skills, and knowledge they are trying to achieve.”

In accordance with the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011, as amended, NMBI is currently developing the details of a scheme for the purpose of monitoring the maintenance of professional competence. When the scheme is fully operational, nurses and midwives may be required to demonstrate to NMBI how they maintain their competency through continuing professional development (CPD).

Learn more about the PDP below from the ONMSD.

Benefits of Professional Development Planning

• Helps you recognise and acknowledge your strengths and facilitates you to identify and meet your professional developmental needs.
• Supports you to set professional long and short-term goals.
• Provides an opportunity for one-to-one engagement at least once a year with your line manager as part of the mandatory PA process.
• Provides an opportunity for you to give and receive feedback.
• Provides an opportunity to engage in continuing professional development and builds your professional confidence and credibility.
• Enables you to demonstrate how you maintain your professional development and competence for NMBI.
• Enhances job satisfaction.
• Supports organisational goals and objectives.
• Contributes to the delivery of safe quality care and improved patient experience.

The professional development planning process consists of 4 main stages: Prepare, Plan, Collaborate and Act.

Stage 1 Prepare: PDP starts with a self-assessment. Take time to explore the knowledge, skills and experience required to fulfil your role.

Stage 2 Plan: Setting out your professional goals.  When creating your own PDP, plan your goals one by one and reflect why they’re important to you, and how you plan to achieve them.  Align your goals to the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics principles (NMBI, 2021).

Stage 3 Collaborate: The PDP process requires all nurses and midwives to meet with their line manager at least once annually. At this meeting you and your line manager discuss and agree on the goals you have set out and how you can be supported to achieve these goals.

Stage 4 Act: You should review your PDP on a regular basis to ensure goals are being achieved.  On the digital PDP, you can add updates when you want and is a useful means of tracking progress, reflective learning and retaining your records of competence, to update your manager at your next PDP meeting.

We are delighted to say that we have earned the Great Place to Work® certification.

Earlier this year, our staff were invited to take part in the Great Place to Work Survey® and share their feedback on working in NMBI and our culture. The survey asked them to rate their experiences across a number of areas, including management and leadership, communication and involvement, recognition, engagement and our culture.

Their feedback showed high levels of trust in management, and we are pleased to have been recognised as a great place to work.

There were also a number of suggestions and areas for improvement, and we look forward to delivering our action plan and acting on the feedback.

Our Director of Registration, Dr Ray Healy, met with participants from the HOPE programme on 10 May in NMBI’s office.

HOPE is the European Hospital and Healthcare Federation, an international non-profit organisation which represents national hospital associations in the European Union (EU) Member States, Serbia and Switzerland.

Ray met with healthcare professionals from Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Portugal and Greece as part of the visit. They discussed the work of NMBI as well as the healthcare landscape in Ireland.

Learn more about HOPE on their website.