HSE Office of Nursing and Midwifery Services Director welcomes first students to undertake Postgraduate Diploma in Neurology Nursing

Ireland's first Postgraduate Diploma in Neurology Nursing has been officially launched at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. The diploma provides nurses with advanced clinical, research and leadership skills, creating clear career pathways and strengthening capacity across neurology services and provides for specialist nursing education and neurology care in Ireland.

Over 860,000 people throughout Ireland are currently living with a neurological condition, and that number is set to increase significantly with the growing and aging population. The HSE Model of Care of the National Clinical Programme for Neurology (NCPN, 2016) identified the need to expand the neurology specialist nursing workforce to address the chronicity of neurological conditions and to navigate patients through primary, secondary, and tertiary care for optimal patient outcomes.

Neurology nurses are integral in delivering high-quality, person-centred care for people living with neurological conditions, including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy. As demand for neurology services increase, this new postgraduate diploma will provide specialist nursing further education which is evidence based, and which incorporates the lived experience of patients with neurological conditions.

The course is the result of partnership between the RCSI School of Nursing and Midwifery, the HSE National Clinical Programme for Neurology, the HSE Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD), the Neurological Alliance of Ireland (NAI), the Irish Neurology Nurses Forum (INNF), and the FutureNeuro Research Ireland Centre for Translational Brain Science.

Roisin McLoughlin, Director of Nursing, ONMSD National Education Lead at the HSE Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD), said:

“The postgraduate diploma offers nurses the opportunity to deepen specialist knowledge, build clinical confidence and develop leadership capability within a supportive, academically robust framework. Crucially, it is grounded in partnership with clinicians and patients, ensuring learning remains relevant, meaningful and directly impactful on the quality of neurological care delivered across Ireland.”

Rachel Kenna, Chief Nursing Officer, Department of Health, said: 

“The introduction of this inaugural programme in Ireland, will support implementation of the HSE Neurology Model of Care through a highly skilled and appropriately trained nursing workforce.  Embedding policy on Graduate, Specialist and Advanced Nursing Practice (DOH) through education we know leads to high quality care and better outcomes for patients. I wish to commend the contribution of all stakeholders involved in this important collaborative work.”

Professor Tom O'Connor, Director of Academic Affairs and Deputy Head of School, Nursing and Midwifery, RCSI, said:

"The RCSI School of Nursing and Midwifery is proud to lead the delivery of Ireland's first specialist neurology nursing postgraduate diploma. Developed in partnership with our neurology stakeholders, this programme establishes a national pathway to specialist practice and advances the quality of care for people living with neurological conditions across Ireland."

Professor Sinéad Murphy, Clinical Lead, National Clinical Programme for Neurology and Consultant Neurologist at Tallaght University Hospital, said:

“The National Clinical Programme for Neurology Model of Care highlights the importance of Neurology nurse specialists as part of the multidisciplinary team needed to provide high-quality care for patients with neurological disease. This postgraduate diploma will provide a clear pathway for nurses who want to develop expertise in neurology and ensure the availability of a pool of suitably qualified Neurology nurse specialists for the future.”

Magdalen Rogers, Executive Director with the Neurological Alliance of Ireland, said:

"As the national umbrella of neurological patient organisations, the NAI is keenly aware of the vital work of nurse specialists in patient care and welcomes this important step in creating a sustainable pathway for neurology nursing going forward."

For more information on the Postgraduate Diploma in Neurology Nursing, please see PgDip in Neurology Nursing - Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.