Minister for Health publishes Report of Expert Review Body on Nursing and Midwifery 2022
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From: Department of Health
- Published on: 29 March 2022
- Last updated on: 12 April 2025
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly is delighted to publish the Report of the Expert Review Body on Nursing and Midwifery 2022.
Minister Donnelly thanked Dr Moling Ryan and the members of the Expert Review Body and affirmed that the report addresses the outstanding industrial relations issues arising from the nursing and midwifery dispute in 2019.
The report contains 47 recommendations that will support nurses and midwives to continue to learn and develop in professional roles, enabling significant reform and ensuring that critical Sláintecare priorities are realised.
Minister Donnelly said:
"The people of Ireland have always known the value of the nursing and midwifery profession to their families and society. That contribution was never underlined more than during the last two years of the pandemic – work which continues across healthcare services today.
"I am very pleased to be launching this report today which establishes a mechanism by which nurses and midwives will be supported to enhance their professional contribution to Ireland's health service.
"Through further investment in workforce planning, aligned educational and career pathways as well as a focus on enabling digital health solutions and nursing and midwifery leadership enhancement, we now have a pathway by which we can develop and strengthen the role of the nurse and midwife in the future."
Minister Donnelly acknowledged the indispensable role played by nursing and midwifery throughout the pandemic, mobilising to pursue new clinical pathways, creating and embracing fast -tracked education and skill programmes and designing and delivering technology enabled care solutions. He recognised the key role that nursing and midwifery leaders played in the establishment and operation of many care initiatives including the mass vaccination centres.
Recommendations were made under the key themes of:
- workforce
- education and professional development
- digital health
- governance
- leadership structures
When implemented these will lay out a pathway to maintain and enhance robust and dynamic leadership and governance structures through recruitment, retention and restructuring, taking account of the reform required under Sláintecare and the vital role of nursing and midwifery in ensuring patient safety.
Stakeholder engagement was central to the work of the Expert Review Body with submissions from nursing and midwifery professions, trade unions, heads of services, employer representatives, higher education bodies and medical and health and social care professions. He thanked the many contributors to the report acknowledging that a significant amount of innovation and development to provide excellence in clinical practice and strategic leadership has been in development for some time by nursing and midwifery. He acknowledged that this advancement has been solely motivated by the desire to improve patient and service user experience and achieve better outcomes in meeting population health needs.
Minister Donnelly has committed to establishing a process to oversee the implementation of the 47 recommendations in the coming weeks which will be led out by Chief Nursing Officer, Ms Rachel Kenna.
Ms Kenna also welcomes the publication of the report stating that the recommendations therein offer huge opportunities for nurses and midwives to strengthen their capacity to deliver and co-ordinate excellence in care design, integration and delivery in a modern system, fulfilling their potential as primary care givers to the full extent of their training. She also acknowledged that implementation of the enhanced nurse and midwife contract in 2019 and the Expert Review Body Report recommendations this year will enable nurses and midwives to demonstrate the full economic value of their contribution to care.
The report can be downloaded here - https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/32783-report-of-the-expert-review-body-on-nursing-and-midwifery/