Minister Harney Congratulates National Maternity Hospital On Introduction Of Nurse Prescribing, Ireland

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 27 Feb 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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The Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney TD, congratulated the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street on being the first organisation in Ireland to introduce nurse/midwife prescribing on 25th January, 2008.

'The introduction of nurse/midwife prescribing is a real and significant change in nursing and midwifery practice in Ireland' the Minister said.'Nurse/midwife prescribing will assist the development of a service based on the right person delivering the right care in the right setting at the right time'

The Minister thanked the management of the hospital including Michael Lenihan, Secretary Manager, Dr Michael Robson, Master and Ms Mary Brosnan, Director of Midwifery and Nursing for their support and commitment to the prescribing project. The Minister also expressed her thanks to the Consultants whose participation in the project as mentors to the midwives was vital to its successful outcome.

To become a registered prescriber nurses and midwives are required to undertake a six month education programme. This programme is currently being delivered by the RCSI in Dublin and UCC in Cork. To date 42 nurses and midwives have successfully completed the programme.

The Minister congratulated Martina Murphy, Alice O'Brien, Mary O'Hagan and Bernadette Casey who were the first midwives/nurse prescribers to be entered in the Nurse Prescribers Register maintained by An Bord Altranais.

Department of Health and Children