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 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 Toolkit for Nurse and Midwife Referral for Radiological Procedures (Excel, size 302 KB) / Instructional Video for Clinical Audit Toolkit (video)
- 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
- National procedures for clinical audit of radiological procedures involving medical exposure to ionising radiation - Updated August 2024 (PDF, 1.73 MB, 78 pages) (hiqa.ie)
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
The ONMSD in collaboration with the National Nurse Referral Advisory Committee plans and provides an annual CPD event.
You can see the 2024 programme below and the speaker presentations and recordings at the link below.
CPD Event Programme for Radiological Referrers (PDF, size 202 KB, 3 pages)
Date for your diary the CPD event for 2025 will be held on Thursday 30 May 9am to 1pm.
Related Topic
CPD 2024 event speaker presentations and recordings
Related Documents
Contact
Dr Maureen Flynn, National Lead for Nurse Referral for Radiological Procedures (interim), ONMSD.
Email: maureena.flynn@hse.ie
Phone: 087 931 7014