Nurse and Midwife Referral for Radiological Procedures (ONMSD)
The Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD) supports the national implementation of nurse referral for radiological procedures in Ireland. This is an expanded role for registered nurses following successful completion of a Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) approved education programme.
The policy introducing nurse referral of ionising radiation originated in 2007 in the Department of Health and Children, to improve patient care. The current legislation Statutory Instrument (S.I.) No. 256 of 2018, with amendments provides the definition of ‘referrers’, which includes registered nurses and registered midwives on the register maintained by the NMBI. In practice this legislation authorises a registered nurse and a registered midwife to refer an individual (patient/service user) to a practitioner for a radiological procedure.
Nurse and midwife referral practice is underpinned by Irish legislation and associated regulation through the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) and professional regulation through the NMBI. Under S.I. No. 256 of 2018, HIQA is the competent authority for medical ionising radiation procedures with responsibility for inspecting and enforcing these regulations. The HSE has developed governance guidance for nurse / midwife referral outlined in the HSE National Nurse and Midwife Authority to Refer for Radiological Procedures Guideline (2021) which reflects the legislative, regulatory and professional requirements.
Related Documents
- Statutory Instrument No 256/2018 (irishstatutebook.ie)
- Nurse Authority to Refer for Radiological Procedures Standards and Requirements for Education Programmes (NMBI, 2020)
- National Nurse and Midwife Authority to Refer for Radiological Procedures Guideline, Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director HSE (2021) (PDF, 2.4 MB, 88 pages)
- Addendum Template Nurse and Midwife Referral for Radiological Procedures August 2022 (PDF, 479 KB, 2 pages)
Programme sponsorship
Funding is available for registered nurses who wish to apply to undertake the standalone nurse and midwife referral for radiological procedures education programme to expand their scope of practice. This funding is available to registered nurses employed by the HSE and HSE funded agencies (Section 38) who meet the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) entry criteria.
Related topic
Sponsorship for the Nurse and Midwife Referral for Radiological Procedures Programme
Registration on the National Database of Nurse and Midwife Referrers for Radiological Procedures
All registered nurses employed by the HSE and HSE funded agencies (Section 38) who have successfully completed a nurse and midwife referrers for radiological procedures education programme must register on the “HSE National Database of Nurse and Midwife Referrers for Radiological Procedures” The National Database tracks referral activity across HSE facilities.
The Director of Nursing/Midwifery/Director of Services on behalf of the health service provider requests the nurse referrer to be entered onto the HSE National Database (see related documents below) and then give written authorisation to the registered nurse to commence referring for radiological procedures.
Related Documents
- Local Governance Checklist for Referrers (sample) (PDF, size 743 KB, 3 pages)
- How to Register on the HSE National Database for Nurse and Midwife Referrers of Radiological Procedures (Word, size 19 KB)
- Registration Template HSE National Database of Nurse and Midwife Referrers for Radiological Procedures (Excel, size 12 KB)
- Sample Template for Referrers of Radiological Procedures Local Health Service Provider (PDF, 756 KB, 3 pages)
Clinical Audit
Clinical audit of nurse and midwife referral for radiological procedures aims to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the radiological referral process. Using the audit toolkit below will provide valuable insights into the workflow and provide evidence of patient safety and quality of care. The outcome of the audit can identify areas for improvement to enhance patient care and outcomes.
Toolkits to support Clinical Audit
- Clinical Audit Tooklit for Nurse and Midwife Referral for Radiological Procedures 2024 (xlsx, size 307.3 KB) / Instructional Video for Clinical Audit Tooklit
- National Centre for Clinical Audit (NCCA) Clinical Audit Practical Guide (2023) (PDF, 4.9 MB, 64 pages)
- National Centre for Clinical Audit Resources training and resources
- Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Guidance on the assessment of compliance in undertakings providing medical exposure to ionising radiation. Updated November 2023 (hiqa.ie)
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
The ONMSD in collaboration with the National Nurse Referral Advisory Committee plans and provides an annual CPD event.
CPD event programme for radiological referrers - 27 June 2024 (PDF, 200 KB, 3 pages)
Related Topic
Related Documents
- Evaluation of the Implementation of Nurse Prescribing of Ionising Radiation (X-Ray) in Ireland (2014) (PDF, 4.16 MB, 177 pages)
- Guidance on the assessment of compliance in undertakings providing medical exposure to ionising radiation Updated November 2023 (hiqa.ie)
- Statutory notifications for accidental or unintended medical exposures to ionising radiation: Guidance for undertakings carrying out medical exposures to ionising radiation on the statutory requirement to notify significant accidental or unintended exposure events to HIQA: Updated September 2019 (hiqa.ie)
Contact
Dr Maureen Flynn, National Lead for Nurse Referral for Radiological Procedures (interim), ONMSD.
Email: maureena.flynn@hse.ie
Mobile: 087 931 7014