Nursing and Midwifery post-registration education is necessary for the maintenance of professional registration, competence and capability and, ultimately, the delivery of safe, effective and person-centred care. It is also crucial for further development of nursing and midwifery roles and new roles including those at an advanced practice level, such as, the Emergency Nurse Practitioner, and to develop new skills for specialist roles, including District Nursing, Health Visiting, Neonatal Care, Respiratory Disease and Diabetes.
The post-registration education and learning needs of the nursing and midwifery workforce in Northern Ireland are identified by Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts on an annual basis. Education and learning programmes are purchased by the Department of Health (DoH) from a range of education providers which includes the HSC Trusts, the three universities (in some cases universities outside NI), the Clinical Education Centre as well as independent providers such as the Royal College of Nursing. Commissioned programmes include study days, stand alone modules and short courses leading to an NMC regulated programme such as Specialist Practice Qualifications.
The DoH commissioning process, or cycle, consists of four phases during the year. As part of this process, the DoH circulates a commissioning proforma to all HSC Trusts for completion. On return, regional priorities are discussed by the regional Education Commissioning Group (ECG) which submits their proposed commissioning plan to the DoH for agreement. The membership of the ECG includes HSC Trusts’ Education Leads for Nursing and Midwifery, the Director of Nursing from the PHA and DoH personal including the Post-Registration Business and Contracts Manager, who is the contact person for all post-registration education, training and development business and liaises with HSC Trusts through their Education Lead.
Click here to download a PDF copy of the DoH Commissioning Cycle diagram below:
Click here to download a PDF copy of the Learning Agreement Template for post-registration commissioned courses.
For further information on the Quality Assurance of DoH Commissioned Development and Education Activity visit https://nipec.hscni.net/service/doh-process/