Our Fitness to Practise Department has been working hard to implement the Compassion Project in 2023 and aims to ensure that the fitness to practise process is a more compassionate one for everyone involved.

We know that being subject to a complaint can be very stressful and traumatic. To reduce the stress that this process brings, we have commissioned an independent service to provide emotional support to all participants involved in the fitness to practice (FTP) process. This includes the registrant subject to the complaint, the complainant, members of the FTP Committee, and any NMBI staff involved in the complaint.

The emotional support line was launched earlier this year. It provides counselling services and signposts callers to other relevant services including to the trade unions. Since its launch, more and more people are becoming aware of the telephone line and are using the services.

We hope that the phone line and the counselling services provided will enable people to have a safe place to share any concerns they have about the process. The service provided by the phone line does not include any advice about the complaint. It is simply there to provide emotional support at a stressful time.

Our Fitness to Practise Department have also been engaging in outreach events to explain the FTP process and provide examples of recent complaints. This includes visits to healthcare settings to remind registrants of the importance of the Code and protecting their PIN. For further information or to book such an information session, contact ftp@nmbi.ie.