Nursing report points to a new era for the profession – Swann

Date published: 10 March 2020

Addressing the conference Minister Swann said: “This Task Group report points the way to a new era for nursing in Northern Ireland. I am delighted to not only welcome its publication but to commend its findings – in the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.

“We all owe a debt of gratitude to nurses and midwives right across Northern Ireland for their commitment, dedication and expertise.”

The report and its recommendations were developed by an expert Nursing and Midwifery Group independently chaired by Sir Richard Barnett. The report sets out the critical issues facing the profession, together with a roadmap to provide direction in achieving world class nursing and midwifery services over the next 10-15 years.

The Minister added: “I am committed to maximising the contribution of midwives and nurses at all levels of our health care system. They will have a central role within a transformed health and social care system.

“I am able today to endorse the bulk of the recommendations. I have asked the Chief Nursing Officer, Professor Charlotte McArdle, to oversee their implementation. As is always the case, the speed of implementation will be heavily dependent depend on budget settlements in the years ahead.

“In respect of a specific recommendation on accelerated pay progression, I am commissioning further work to establish the detailed evidence base for the costs and benefits of such an approach.

“I acknowledge that this is an important issue and that we need to make better use of the tremendous skill set of experienced nurses. However, further detail is required as to how the Task Group recommendation might work.”

Chief Nursing Officer Professor Charlotte McArdle said: “I am delighted to see the launch of the Nursing and Midwifery Task Group Report. This important report recognises the challenges faced by our professions and identifies measures that can be taken to stabilise our workforce. I have said before there are no short term or quick fix solutions to the shortages we face across the health service but this report signifies light at the end of the tunnel.”