Northern Ireland

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Northern Ireland
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Health care system

• Free at point of access to N.I.residents and for
  emergency care to non residents
• Traditional system of district general hospitals
  and extensive community care. Undergoing a
  strategy of improving acute hospitals and closing
  smaller hospitals.
• Expertise in trauma care
• Cross border initiatives encouraged

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Health care system 2

• Health care system slow to change with political
  unrest
• For many years until the Good Friday Agreement of
  1998 Northern Ireland (NI) was ruled directly by
  Westminster with a small ministerial team of
  English MPs working on a part time basis in NI.
  When the Assembly collapsed in 2002 direct rule
  was returned. The current Minister for Health
  also has responsibilities for social services
  security and policing political commentators
  predict that he probably has 20 minutes per week
  to devote to health issues.
• Tradition of private health care thrives -10 of
  all pregnant women chose private antenatal care

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Nurse Midwifery Education

• Education commissioned by health care providers
• Two universities offer BSc Hons/ Diploma in
  Nursing
• Three year course with one common foundation year
  then adult branch, mental health branch, children
  ,learning disability and in last two years,
  midwifery
• Prior to last year only way to be a midwife was
  by studying an 18 month course after qualifying
  as a nurse

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Nurse Midwifery Education 2

• One quarter of the workforce in unqualified
• Just over half nurses, and health visitors are
  part-time and over 60 of midwives are part-time
• Flexible working patterns introduced to boost
  numbers of nurses and midwives returning to work

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Nurse Midwifery Education 3

• There is a gap in the professions between those
  who are newly qualified with a degree/ diploma
  and those with no academic qualification who
  often only work part time
• The professional body is introducing a system for
  a continuous development framework for all staff,
  with electronic support
• By using portfolios staff will be given advice on
  how to develop their role