Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 July 2016
224. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the current average waiting times for processing registration applications at the Nursing and Midwifery Board, in weeks; the representations he has received about tackling the delays which exist; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20174/16]
View answerI would like to advise the Deputy that I and my predecessor, Leo Varadkar have received 86 representations in relation to nurse registration issues in 2015 and 13 representations to date in 2016.
Officials of my Department have contacted the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) in relation to the Deputy's Question. The response from the NMBI is set out below.
Once all relevant documentation on a nurse or midwife's application is received the file is assessed by the NMBI. At the end of 2015, the timeframe for assessment of applications once all required documentation had been submitted was a maximum of 90 days. As of 31 May 2016, this had been reduced to a maximum of 45 days. Currently, there are no EU applications awaiting assessment.
It should be noted that most applicants from non-EU countries are not eligible for direct registration with the NMBI as their education programmes do not meet NMBI requirements and standards for such programmes. The usual outcome for such applications is a ‘decision letter’. This specifies that the applicant must successfully complete an Aptitude Test or a period of Adaptation and Assessment as a prerequisite to registration. Once an applicant get the decision letter, he/she must apply for the Aptitude Test or the period of Adaptation and Assessment. Once successfully completed, they then progress to registration by the NMBI.
The NMBI fully recognises the challenges being experienced by health service employers in the public and the private sector. The NMBI is meeting and liaising with employers on a regular basis to address the registration issues. The NMBI is also liaising with a large number of recruitment agencies on a daily and weekly basis to support the recruitment and registration process. Feedback from recruitment agencies in recent months has been very positive and recognises the improvements that have been made by NMBI. Senior NMBI staff are also endeavouring to explore the best ways of improving the efficiency of the existing process, whilst still maintaining the standards of education and professional competence required to enable registration. A new streamlined application form and information booklet was also launched earlier this year.
Various measures including enhanced website functionality, additional staff appointments and ongoing process improvement work by NMBI staff is assisting in making headway in the management of the increasing volumes of applications received by NMBI to facilitate new nurses and midwives entering the Irish health system as quickly as possible without compromising standards.
