NMBI launches Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) has launched the revised Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives. This is the main guidance document for nurses and midwives in Ireland. It focuses on public health and wellbeing by ensuring registered nurses and midwives practise safely, while upholding the integrity of the professions.

Commenting on the launch, NMBI Vice-President Áine Lynch described the Code as “the key guide for over 90,000 registrants in Ireland”. Every registered nurse and midwife needs to know, understand, and comply with the Code to keep their practice safe, and are measured against its principles.

“It is designed to protect nurses and midwives whose profession it is to care for others and who make a positive and beneficial impact on the Irish healthcare system and in particular on the delivery of patient care,” Ms Lynch said.

The updated Code is markedly different to previous editions. It now incorporates and replaces the Scope of Nursing and Midwifery Practice Framework (2015); Ethical Conduct in Research (2015); Recording Clinical Practice (2015); and Social Media and Social Networking (2013).

“By integrating the Scope and other the key guidance documents into the Code, we believe we have developed a more concise and user-friendly resource for our registrants,” said NMBI Interim Director of Education, Policy, and Standards, Lorraine Clarke Bishop, who led the review. The aim was to set clear, relevant standards in line with the modern expectations of the public and of service users. The review also acknowledged the significant changes in nursing and midwifery.

“As our primary authoritative document, the Code is key to patient safety. It will guide ethical decision-making when caring for patients, service users and their families. We believe the Code promotes the professional values that underpin safe, effective, evidence-based practice,” said NMBI Interim Chief Executive, Carolyn Donohoe.

“Healthcare is more complex with people presenting with increasingly more complex needs and vulnerabilities. This new modern Code will become the bedrock for safe, compassionate practice across the country.”

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