Fitness to practise sounds intimidating—and for nurses and midwives facing complaints, it can feel like the hardest side of regulation.  

Marie-Therese Hackett is NMBI’s Inquiries Legal Adviser, with 20 years’ experience in the legal profession working across criminal law, civil litigation, and healthcare regulation.  

Marie-Therese’s professional background provides a strong foundation for ensuring regulatory processes are fair, transparent, and proportionate. Having worked closely with vulnerable participants in a range of legal processes and regulatory systems, she is deeply aware of the impact such processes can have on the individual.

These experiences have made her passionate about promoting compassionate practice and reducing harm wherever possible. Marie-Therese’s personal experience of neonatal intensive care units has given her a profound respect for healthcare professionals and a deep appreciation of the trust that patients and their families place in the healthcare system. These personal experiences strengthen her commitment to fairness, empathy, and continuous improvements in healthcare regulation.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

• How fitness to practice protects public safety 
• How the three-stage legal framework for complaints works 
• How the Compassion Project transformed witness care through dedicated liaison officers and 24/7 emotional support line
• Why witnesses experience re-traumatisation without trauma-informed practices
• How reducing "witness work" through practical measures supports participants

MORE INFORMATION

NMBI is the statutory body which sets the standards for the education, registration and professional conduct of nurses and midwives. We advise on how nurses and midwives should provide care to patients, their families and society. Our mission is to protect the public and the integrity of the professions of nursing and midwifery through the promotion of high standards of education, training, and professional conduct. We achieve this by providing leadership to registered nurses and midwives to support them to deliver safe care through innovative and proactive professional regulation. 

Our functions in safeguarding the public involve establishing and maintaining the Register of Nurses and Midwives. We also establish procedures and criteria for the assessment and registration of nurses and midwives. Visit the Registration section of our website to learn more. Additionally, we set the standards and requirements for nursing and midwifery education programmes. We approve education programmes and further education programmes for the purposes for nurses and midwives. Visit NMBI.ie to learn more. 

QUOTES

• When I think of healthcare regulation, we are all working in that wider system to protect the public and the trust in the professions. - Marie Therese Hackett
• When we say that someone is fit to practice, what we mean is that they have the appropriate skills, they have the knowledge, they have the character and the health to practice their profession safely and effectively - Marie Therese Hackett
• With over 90,000 people on the register, the number of complaints coming through is really small. - Marie Therese Hackett
• We launched our witness care project with the focus that we wanted every single person coming through to have a person-focused tailored experience based on trust, showing them respect and appreciation for the role that they play. We can't do our job without witnesses - Marie Therese Hackett
• This is a regulatory process, and emotion has to come out of it, but for those people involved in it, you can never take the emotion out of it. We need to recognize that. - Marie Therese Hackett

KEYWORDS

 #witnesscare #altruism #processimprovement #traumainformed #participantsupport

Kathyann Barrett is joined by Dr Ray Healy, NMBI’s Director of Registration, to unpack one of the regulator’s core functions: maintaining the nursing and midwifery register. 

From Irish and EU-trained nurses with streamlined pathways, to UK applicants navigating post-Brexit changes, to the thousands of nurses arriving from India, the Philippines, and beyond, Ray explains the complexities of recognising qualifications and the rigorous steps involved in ensuring only those meeting the highest standards are licensed to practise. 

He also reflects on global challenges — from conflicts that disrupt access to documentation, to the balance between fairness for applicants and the regulator’s duty to protect the public.

The conversation covers the annual renewal process, the digitisation of NMBI’s systems, and the supports available for applicants along the way. Ultimately, it highlights the constant balancing act between efficiency, fairness, and safeguarding public trust.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

• How Dr. Ray Healy’s journey from nursing to policy to regulation shapes his perspective on registration.
• What it really means to be “on the register” — and why it’s central to public safety.
• The impact of Brexit, global conflicts, and documentation gaps on nurses seeking registration.
• Why India and the Philippines are now Ireland’s largest sources of new nurses.
• The rigorous recognition process, from fraud checks to adaptation placements and aptitude tests.
• Why registration is ultimately a daily balancing act between fairness, efficiency, and protecting the public.

GUEST DETAILS

Dr Ray Healy is NMBI’s Director of Registration. He is a Registered General Nurse, having worked in orthopaedic and neurosurgical settings across public and private services at St James's Hospital, Dublin, in the NHS England, and in the Beacon and Hermitage hospitals in Dublin. 

Prior to his appointment to NMBI in 2021, Ray was a Project Officer in the Chief Nursing Officer’s Office in the Department of Health, project managing the safe nurse staffing and skill mix brief. Ray was also appointed as the secretariat for the Expert Review Body of Nursing and Midwifery and brought the Body’s report to publication in 2022. Ray holds a Master's degree in Leadership from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and recently completed his Doctorate in Nursing from London South Bank University, which focused on how nurses in an acute care setting define the care they provide. 

At NMBI, Ray leads a team responsible for the registration of nurses and midwives from Ireland, the EU and outside the EU. Ray has worked to reduce the timeframe taken to assess applications from overseas candidates as Director. He also leads on the annual registration renewal of registrants every year. 

MORE INFORMATION

NMBI is the statutory body which sets the standards for the education, registration and professional conduct of nurses and midwives. We advise on how nurses and midwives should provide care to patients, their families and society. Our mission is to protect the public and the integrity of the professions of nursing and midwifery through the promotion of high standards of education, training, and professional conduct. We achieve this by providing leadership to registered nurses and midwives to support them to deliver safe care through innovative and proactive professional regulation.  

Our functions in safeguarding the public involve establishing and maintaining the Register of Nurses and Midwives. We also establish procedures and criteria for the assessment and registration of nurses and midwives. Visit the Registration section of our website to learn more. Additionally, we set the standards and requirements for nursing and midwifery education programmes. We approve education programmes and further education programmes for the purposes for nurses and midwives. Visit NMBI.ie to learn more. 

QUOTES

• Being on the register means you have a legal title in this country — it gives you a license to practice as a nurse or midwife. – Dr. Ray Healy
• That’s the daily challenge we’re faced with — making sure someone has the right qualifications while not deterring people we badly need in the workforce. – Dr. Ray Healy
• It’s one of those random consequences of Brexit that people mightn’t be aware of — suddenly the evidence we used to rely on isn’t there, and applicants are left frustrated. – Dr. Ray Healy
• It may come across as pedantic, but it’s about public safety — we need clear evidence that someone is in good standing, even if conflict or politics makes that harder. – Dr. Ray Healy
• It’s not your fault if you can’t get the documents, but it’s not my fault either. I can’t put you on the register just because you can’t get documents — it’s an impossible balance we have to strike every day. – Dr. Ray Healy
• We sit in that space between policy, operations, and patient safety — regulation is where the rules are put into practice. – Dr. Ray Healy

KEYWORDS
#Nursing #Midwifery #HealthcareRegulation #NMBI #NMBIVoice #NurseRegistration #PublicSafety #NurseLife #BrexitImpact #GlobalNursing #IrishHealthcare #SafePractice

Kathyann Barrett speaks with Professional Officer Mary Devane about NMBI’s new Professional Competence Scheme and what it means for nurses and midwives. 

Mary reflects on her wide-ranging career — from training in Cork and working in London to public health nursing and practice development — and how her own commitment to continuous learning shaped her perspective. Together, they unpack the pilot scheme: the balance of CPD hours and practice hours, the importance of reflective learning, the role of employers in supporting competence, and how the scheme will be audited and rolled out nationally by 2027. 

Throughout the conversation, the focus is on maintaining safe practice, aligning with the Code, and showcasing the professionalism and pride that underpin nursing and midwifery.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

• How curiosity and continuous learning shaped Mary’s career and passion for education.
• Why NMBI developed the Professional Competence Scheme — and what it aims to achieve.
• The balance of CPD hours, practice hours, and reflection in maintaining competence.
• Why reflection matters — and how it turns everyday learning into safer practice.
• How the pilot scheme is being tested across 37 sites and what early feedback reveals.
• The role of employers in supporting nurses and midwives to maintain competence.
• How mandatory training fits into CPD, and why it’s not just a tick-box exercise.
• What future audits will look like — and how the scheme will be rolled out by 2027.
• Why this is ultimately about pride in the professions, accountability, and public trust.

GUEST DETAILS

Mary Devane is a Professional Officer, Education, Policy and Standards Department at NMBI

MORE INFORMATION

NMBI is the statutory body which sets the standards for the education, registration and professional conduct of nurses and midwives. We advise on how nurses and midwives should provide care to patients, their families and society. Our mission is to protect the public and the integrity of the professions of nursing and midwifery through the promotion of high standards of education, training, and professional conduct. We achieve this by providing leadership to registered nurses and midwives to support them to deliver safe care through innovative and proactive professional regulation. 
 
Our functions in safeguarding the public involve establishing and maintaining the Register of Nurses and Midwives. We also establish procedures and criteria for the assessment and registration of nurses and midwives. Visit the Registration section of our website to learn more. Additionally, we set the standards and requirements for nursing and midwifery education programmes. We approve education programmes and further education programmes for the purposes for nurses and midwives. Visit NMBI.ie to learn more. 

QUOTES

• This is really about the promotion of safe practice, because ultimately that’s what we’re about — making sure that nurses and midwives are protecting the public through their practice. – Mary T. Devane
• We really want people to reflect and to consider how they need to practise safely and align that to the Code — not just turn it into a tick-box exercise. – Mary T. Devane
• Sometimes when we do reflect, we don’t know what we’re going to open up in our learning — it can be like a Pandora’s box, but in a good way. – Mary T. Devane
• Employers who support nurses and midwives to maintain competence don’t just improve staff retention — they improve the quality of care for everyone.  – Mary T. Devane
• It’s really a chance to show what you’re doing anyway — to showcase the professionalism and pride that nurses and midwives already bring to their work every day. – Mary T. Devane

KEYWORDS

#Nursing #Midwifery #ProfessionalCompetence #CPD #ReflectivePractice #SafePractice #HealthcareLeadership #NMBIVoice #NursingEducation #PatientSafety #ContinuousLearning

In the debut episode of NMBI Voice, host Kathyann Barrett is joined by Lorraine Clarke Bishop, Interim Director of Education, Policy, and Standards at the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, to explore the newly updated Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives.

Together they trace Lorraine’s own journey into nursing and reflect on how the Code first shaped her practice, before diving into why it remains central for over 90,000 nurses and midwives across Ireland today. From guiding everyday decision-making to handling ethical dilemmas, patient safety, cultural sensitivity, accountability, and even the challenges of social media and emerging technologies, the conversation shows how the Code is both a safeguard and an empowering framework for professionals.

Listeners will hear practical examples of the Code in action — from medication safety to advocating for patients and supporting colleagues — and learn why familiarity with it is essential at every stage of a nursing or midwifery career.

Whether you’re a student, a newly qualified nurse, a seasoned midwife, or working in leadership or regulation, this episode offers an engaging introduction to the Code as a living document — one that protects patients, strengthens trust, and supports the profession in a rapidly changing healthcare landscape.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

• Why Lorraine first chose nursing — and how the Code shaped her earliest experiences as a student.
• How the Code works as a daily “moral compass” for nurses and midwives in every setting.
• Practical examples of the Code in action: from medication safety to cultural sensitivity and palliative care.
• Why accountability, competence, respect, trust, and leadership are at the heart of professional practice.
• How the updated Code addresses modern challenges like social media, human rights, AI and sustainability.
• The importance of making the Code a “living document” through conversations, training, and peer support.
• Why compliance with the Code protects both patients and the integrity of the nursing and midwifery profession.

GUEST DETAILS

Lorraine Clarke Bishop currently serves as the Interim Director of Education, Policy, and Standards.  

She is a registered general nurse, having trained at the Eastern Area College of Nursing (Southside) in Belfast. Lorraine has over 30 years of experience in nursing across various healthcare settings in Ireland, the United States of America and Saudi Arabia, both in the public and private sectors. Her career encompasses significant front-line and leadership roles. 

Prior to employment within NMBI, Lorraine held the role of Clinical Placement Co-ordinator and was a part-time lecturer/teacher, with over 19 years of experience in nurse education. She holds a Master's degree in Healthcare Ethics and Law and a professional certificate in Governance. Lorraine was an elected member of the NMBI Board in 2015, where she chaired both the Education, Training and Standards Committee and the Fitness to Practise Committee until taking up the role of Professional Officer in the Education, Policy and Standards Department in June 2021. 

Lorraine played a pivotal role in developing the first regulatory framework aimed at ensuring consistency in the implementation of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) across educational bodies providing graduate nursing programmes in Ireland. Most recently, she oversaw the revision of the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives, incorporating the Scope of Practice and Professional Guidance (2024). 

As the Interim Director, Lorraine leads a dynamic and responsive team committed to the ongoing transformation of undergraduate nurse education, working closely with educational bodies and stakeholders across both clinical and academic settings. 

MORE INFORMATION

NMBI is the statutory body which sets the standards for the education, registration and professional conduct of nurses and midwives. We advise on how nurses and midwives should provide care to patients, their families and society. Our mission is to protect the public and the integrity of the professions of nursing and midwifery through the promotion of high standards of education, training, and professional conduct. We achieve this by providing leadership to registered nurses and midwives to support them to deliver safe care through innovative and proactive professional regulation.  

Our functions in safeguarding the public involve establishing and maintaining the Register of Nurses and Midwives. We also establish procedures and criteria for the assessment and registration of nurses and midwives. Visit the Registration section of our website to learn more. Additionally, we set the standards and requirements for nursing and midwifery education programmes. We approve education programmes and further education programmes for the purposes for nurses and midwives. Visit NMBI.ie to learn more. 

QUOTES

• The Code isn’t just about on the days when everything goes right — it’s to be your moral compass when you are really challenged. – Lorraine Clarke Bishop
• Everything we do in healthcare is about safety and putting the patient at the centre of it. – Lorraine Clarke Bishop
• Not being familiar with the Code is not a defence — it’s our responsibility as professionals to know it. – Lorraine Clarke Bishop
• The Code shouldn’t restrict you; it should empower you. It’s an enabling framework. – Lorraine Clarke Bishop
• Read the Code, have the conversations, and make it real in your daily practice. – Lorraine Clarke Bishop

KEYWORDS
#NMBIVoice #Nursing #Midwifery #CodeOfConduct #PatientSafety #ProfessionalPractice #HealthcareEthics #Accountability #Trust #Leadership #NMBI

The brand new NMBI Voice podcast covers the key changes and challenges facing our profession today.

Whether you're dealing with new regulations, maintaining your professional development, or navigating ethical decisions in your daily practice, NMBI Voice breaks down complex topics into practical guidance you can use.

You'll hear from NMBI experts and colleagues who understand the realities of our work environment, offering clear explanations of what new policies mean for your practice and career.

New episodes air on the first Monday of every month, giving you the information you need to maintain excellent standards while focusing on what matters most – caring for your patients.

Click "Follow" now so you get the first episodes when they launch this September.