Chief Nursing Officer Launches Strategy for the Office of the Chief Nursing Officer 2024-2026

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The Chief Nursing Officer (CNO), Rachel Kenna, has launched the Strategy for the Office of the Chief Nursing Officer 2024-2026. The Strategy is a comprehensive roadmap for the next three years, designed to guide and inform the future of nursing and midwifery policy.

The Strategy is aligned with the Department of Health’s Statement of Strategy 2023-2025 and is another important step towards achieving universal healthcare.

Welcoming the launch of the new strategy Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly said, “I am pleased to welcome this Strategy for the Office of the Chief Nursing Officer. It provides and important plan of work and sets out the approach to support the continued implementation of Sláintecare.

“With real success to date from the policies developed from the previous strategy, I am looking forward to where the next three years take us. I have supported significant investment in the Framework for Safe Nurse Staffing, the Policy on the Development of Graduate to Advanced Nursing and Midwifery Practice and the Community Virtual Ward Proof‑of‑Concept.”

Developing the Strategy was a large-scale national and international collaborative process. The staff in the CNO’s Office wish to extend their sincere appreciation to all of the nurses and midwives who participated in the events held as part of the process. The team would also like to acknowledge the patients and partners who made valuable contributions to this document.

Acknowledging the contribution made by nurses and midwives to the development of the Strategy, Rachel Kenna said, “Nursing and midwifery input has been the main building block for this Strategy, and I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who contributed to its development.\”

The Office of the CNO has identified five strategic priorities, which will overall support the Office to align with the work of the Department of Health. The priorities are focused initiatives that will guide the nursing and midwifery policy direction from the Office of the Chief Nursing Officer towards achieving its overall mission. The priorities focus on Workforce Stability and Wellbeing; Leadership and Governance Capacity; Education, Research, Evidence and Regulation; Digital Healthcare; and Global Partnerships and Global Health.

(Source: Department of Health)