Chief Nursing Officer, Maria McIlgorm, has outlined her five-year vision for nursing and midwifery in Northern Ireland at her inaugural conference.

About 180 people attended the in-person event in the La Mon Hotel, Belfast, including staff from across health and social care and the independent sector, as well as students and educators.

Chief Nursing Officer, Maria McIlgorm, said she was confident that staff across health and social care would work together to address the current serious challenges and make the sector a great place for nurses, midwives and other colleagues to work.

"Our vision is to maximise the potential of the nursing and midwifery workforce, including our healthcare support workers, in a safe, inclusive, and healthful culture while recognising the value of equality and diversity within the workforce." Maria McIlgorm told the CNO conference.

"It is important that we will continue to work together to provide the resources and conditions to ensure that everyone involved in providing nursing and midwifery care can confidently and safely provide high quality evidence-based care."

The vision strategy, drawn from and guided by the Nursing and Midwifery Task Group (NMTG) report, which was launched in 2020, identifies four key priorities:

• Workforce and Workload planning;
• Pre & Post Registration Education & Training;
• Further development of career pathways beyond clinical pathways;
• The development of a Quality Assurance Framework for Nursing & Midwifery.

  

  The 'Vision for Nursing and Midwifery in Northern Ireland' document

Maria added: "As we mark 75 years of the NHS, we not only look back on our great achievements and how much we have learnt and grown, but we look to the future and how we can all play our part in transforming our healthcare system to improve health outcomes now and for future generations."

The conference keynote address was given by high-performance sport and business consultant Phil Glasgow.

Other speakers included Andrea Sutcliffe, Chief Executive and Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and Peter McBride of the HSC Leadership Centre.

Attendees also judged a competition of posters submitted by staff from health and social care and the independent sector, as well as students.