Nursing and Midwifery Board boss to resign

The chief executive of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI), Dr Maura Pidgeon, is to resign from her position in order to move to the private sector.

Dr Pidgeon is to take up a professorship in nursing at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland campus in Bahrain, the board has confirmed.

In a statement, the board wished Dr Pidgeon well and said a new appointment would be made as soon as possible.

"Dr Pidgeon led the board through a period of significant progress for nursing and midwifery, including the phased implementation of the Nurses and Midwives Act, 2011, which is the most significant change in the professional landscape in over 25 years," according to NMBI president Paul Gallagher.

Fees dispute

Earlier this year, the board became embroiled in a dispute with the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) over an increase in the nursing registration fee.

The board said that extra money was needed to pay for increased costs, including the cost of holding fitness to practise inquiries in public.

The union opposed the board’s decision to raise the fee from €100 to €150 and organised a boycott of the fee increase.

The board eventually decided to reverse the fee rise.