DISSOLUTION OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL

The National Council has been dissolved with effect from the 31stDecember 2011. All assets and liabilities of the Council have transferred to An Bord Altranais, www.nursingboard.ie , Tel 01 639 8500.

Since its foundation on foot of a recommendation of the Commission on Nursing, the National Council has pushed out the boundaries of the development of the profession of nursing and midwifery in Ireland. This has been motivated by our mission to fulfil the vision for nursing and midwifery contained in the final report of the Commission and to address the needs of the service and the professions.

In order to fulfil its mission, the Council has had to provide leadership in the areas of professional development, continuing education, career pathway development and clinical research. It has also served as a vehicle for the dissemination of relevant nursing and midwifery information in a way that had never been done before in Ireland through its Review (copies of all back numbers are available in the publications section of this website) and through the medium of our website, publications, conferences, seminars and master classes. The Council has succeeded in creating a critical mass of information and professional development activity that has made a substantial contribution to the development of the professions of nursing and midwifery.

The Government will soon enact the Nurses and Midwives Bill 2010. This will lead to the formal dissolution of the National Council and the transfer of its functions to a newly constituted Nursing and Midwifery Board to succeed An Bord Altranais. In order to facilitate this, the staff of the National Council has been transferred to An Bord Altranais and to the Office of the Director of Nursing and Midwifery Services in the HSE.

On behalf of all the members of the National Council and of my colleagues in the Executive, I would like to thank all those who supported us throughout our 12 years of existence. The legacy of the National Council has been documented in our publications. It is there for future generations to study and to pick up the challenge of continuing the development of the professions of nursing and midwifery in Ireland.

Yvonne O'Shea Chief Executive Officer, The National Council for the Professional Development of Nursing and Midwifery.

The National Council can be contacted as usual by email at admin@ncnm.ie