Under the Nurses and Midwives Act, 2011, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) is responsible for the regulation of nurses and midwives in Ireland ,including the registration of nurse and midwives.
During the latter part of 2021, the NMBI had been experiencing an increased volume of overseas registration applications as well as delays in processing applications overall. Following consultation, my Department sanctioned additional resources to deal with the backlog. These have been in place for some time now and producing results.
In the period 1 January to 30 June 2022, NMBI issued 2,669 Decision Letters (DLs) to overseas applicants. This is higher than the number issued during the full year of 2021 (2,430) and NMBI expects to have issued about 5,500 by year-end, which will be more than double the 2021 total.
A Decision Letter is a key milestone for applicants and allows them to take the final steps toward registration. Approximately 80% of nurses and midwives pass their required compensation measures (either an adaptation period or an aptitude test) and convert to a registrant within six months of their decision letter being issued. Following registration, they can join the nursing and midwifery workforce.
Regarding the staffing within the NMBI and current number of applicants awaiting registration, I have asked the NMBI to respond directly to the Deputy.
