Continuous professional development and lifelong learning for all health professionals is important for the effective functioning of the health service. It is key to maximising patient outcomes. Continuous professional development is a vital component in building and maintaining professional competence and fitness to practice.
With regard to doctors, Part 11 of the Medical Practitioners Act 2007 provides for professional competence schemes as the formal structures to ensure that all doctors registered and working in Ireland maintain their education, knowledge and skills at an acceptable level. As of May 2011, doctors are legally obliged to maintain their professional competence by enrolling in approved professional competence schemes and following requirements set by the Medical Council. In this context, the Council has established a range of professional competence schemes through formal arrangements with the recognised postgraduate training bodies. Schemes are operated by the postgraduate training bodies and have been developed to drive good professional practice, which is centred on patient safety and quality of patient care.
While the pursuit of training by medical practitioners registered in the Trainee Specialist Division is sufficient to satisfy a doctor's requirements concerning an applicable professional competence scheme, the HSE provides the following professional competence supports for other doctors:
- Continuing Medical Education (CME) funding for Consultants of €3,000 per annum per claimant. A revised CME structure ensures that Consultants are facilitated to remain up-to-date with new systems and processes relevant to their work, and all claimants must be registered on a professional competence scheme with the relevant postgraduate training body in Ireland;
- annual funding to recognised training bodies to deliver Professional Development Programmes for NCHDs in non-training posts. Doctors register with the relevant postgraduate training body in order to access courses and on-line learning appropriate to their needs. These learning opportunities can be used to earn credits for Medical Council professional competence scheme requirements;
- funding, through the Irish College of General Practitioners, of a national Director and 37 tutors who deliver a CME programme for GPs. The programme is delivered in small groups throughout the country and is free to participants. Participation in the programme can be used by GPs to earn credits for Medical Council professional competence scheme requirements.
With regard to nurses, the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011 provides for the professional competence of nurses and midwives. Nurses' and midwives' continued professional development takes the form of formally accredited education programmes and shorter programmes approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI), comprising both theoretical knowledge and clinical skills. These programmes are delivered by the HSE Centres of Nursing and Midwifery Education, practice development departments within services and Higher Education Institutes. The programmes supported must be relevant to patient need, the role of the nurse and the organisation’s service requirements. In addition, a number of programmes have been commissioned and are delivered nationally in response to clinical programme requirements and service developments. The NMBI approves and accredits continuing education courses (Post-registration Category 1) from a few hours to 36 hours contact time. Currently there are 1781 NMBI-approved Category 1 courses offered across a range of facilities in all areas of practice and geographical locations. There are also 44 NMBI-approved specialist education programmes offered at postgraduate level across the higher education sector.
The HSE has a number of strategies in place to support the continued education of nurses and midwives in the Irish health system via the Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director. These include:
- funding for clinical Higher Diplomas along with part funding for Masters programmes, in addition to support for leadership and management development by the Nursing and Midwifery Practice Development Units and the Leadership and Innovation Centre;
- further educational opportunities to support continuous professional development at local level provided by the Centres for Nursing and Midwifery Education;
- the Nurse and Midwife Graduate Programme which offers a two-year programme of further education and development to newly qualified nurses and midwives.
