Project Information and Background:
From May 2018 the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) published revised standards for nursing and midwifery education and training. These new standards raise the ambition in terms of what’s expected of a nurse and midwife at the point of registration and will give nurses and midwives the knowledge and skills they need to deliver excellent care across a range of settings now and in the future.
It was recognised that the implementation of the NMC pre-registration education and training standards (2018) would have significant implications for health care in Northern Ireland. The Department of Health engaged NIPEC to lead a programme of work to introduce the new standards and the project plan for Future Nurse Future Midwife (FNFM) and governance arrangements were established.
The FNFM programme of work commenced in September 2018 and the Department of Health provided transformational funding to ensure a regional approach would be adopted for full implementation of the standards across Northern Ireland. The FNFM project was delivered through a process of partnership working, co-design and collaboration with key stakeholders and focused on five work-streams.
The NMC standards for Future Nurse were launched on the 14 September 2020 by the Chief Nursing Officer, Charlotte McArdle (click here to watch the video launch) and the launch for Future Midwife planned for September 2021.
Updates on progress throughout the project can be viewed through the FNFM – News Page.
In August 2020 a Northern Ireland Practice Learning Collaborative (NIPLC) was established; as the FNFM programme of work has now entered a transition phase, elements of work will incrementally migrate across formally to stakeholder organisations through the NIPLC. For the life of the FNFM project the FNFM Programme Board will have oversight of the implementation of the FNFM and its transition to NIPLC.
Future Nurse Future Midwife Professional Officers
The FNFM project would like to formally acknowledge the Professional Officers’ immense contribution, hard work and dedication to ensure that the outcomes and resources from the FNFM project were robust, regionally informed and highly relevant. Thank you to Each of the HSC Trusts have identified a FNFM link person from the Practice Education Teams to liaise with the FNFM project manager going forward.
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| Rhonda Brown BHSCT |
Lynn McKeown BHSCT |
Kerrie McLarnon NHSCT |
Joanne Fitzsimons SEHSCT |
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| Sharon Conlan SHSCT |
Carol McGinn WHSCT |
Bernadette Gribben NIPEC |
Eilish Boyle NIPEC |