NMBI complaint · Written to the NMBI Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics

Ethics and Ethical Standards for Nurses and Midwives for nurses and midwives facing an NMBI complaint or fitness to practise inquiry

The complaint concerns your ethical judgement, behaviour or conduct as a nurse or midwife.

Boundaries — a boundaries breach with a patient or a colleague, a dual relationship, or expensive gifts from a family
Dishonesty — a falsified chart, a backdated entry, or a charge for care that was not given
Consent — care without valid consent, or an informed refusal not respected
Confidentiality — patient information discussed, shared or stored without proper safeguards
Medication — a medication error not reported, or not owned
Dignity — a dismissive remark, or care that did not respect the person
Online conduct — a social media post, or a telehealth consultation others could overhear
Any other concern — an allegation of unethical conduct, or of conduct that did not meet the Code

Facing an allegation of unethical behaviour or professional misconduct like these — from the NMBI, its Preliminary Proceedings Committee or the Fitness to Practise Committee?

This course is for a nurse or midwife facing an NMBI complaint or fitness to practise inquiry. It helps you remediate — and show the remediation, with a dated certificate for your written response, your reflection, an undertaking or an inquiry.

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10) Bulk Buy — from €70 a course

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Immediate access · certificate on completion · twelve months' access

2 CPD hours
Self-paced
Written for Ireland
CPD certificate
From €70 a course (Bulk Buy of 10)

Our team

Dr Shehzad IqbalFounder, course author and facilitatorMBBS, MRCS, MRCGP
Dr Mo MirzaCourse facilitatorMedically trained, UCL London
Ludmila UpenieceBusiness development and supportPsychology, UEL London

At a glance

Who it is for: Any nurse or midwife facing an NMBI complaint, a case officer’s letter, a Preliminary Proceedings Committee decision or a fitness to practise inquiry about ethical judgement, behaviour or conduct — an allegation of unethical behaviour, conduct or action, or non-compliance with the Code
Regulator covered: The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI), its Preliminary Proceedings Committee and its Fitness to Practise Committee, under the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011
Length: 10 sections, 54 lessons, 2 CPD hours
Format: Self-paced, online, immediate access, twelve months from purchase
Certificate: Certificate issued by Healthcare Ethics Courses on completion, dated, with the course title and 2 CPD hours
Price: €100 · from €70 a course (Bulk Buy of 10)

Certificate issued by Healthcare Ethics CoursesRemediation courses for regulatory processes.

2CPD hours, issued by Healthcare Ethics Courses

10Sections, nine closing with a reflective quiz

54Lessons, plus a post-course assessment

€100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)One off. Twelve months' access

The certificate you will receive

Sample certificate of continuing professional development for Ethics and Ethical Standards for Nurses and Midwives, issued by Healthcare Ethics Courses, showing the name John Smith, 2 CPD hours and a date of completion, marked SAMPLE — Sample. Your certificate carries your name, the course title and the date you complete the course.

How nurses and midwives use it

With a written response to the case officer or the Preliminary Proceedings Committee, alongside a reflection
When an undertaking, a consent or mediation is discussed, or in your evidence to the Fitness to Practise Committee
As a dated record of remedial action for the Board when sanction is considered

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)

Who this course is for

Facing an allegation of unethical behaviour or professional misconduct

The letter says a decision, a disclosure, a relationship or a way of working did not meet the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics. This course is how you account for it — and show you have remediated.

Dealing with an NMBI complaint

An employer, a patient, a relative or the Board itself has complained, and a case officer has written to you enclosing the complaint. Your written response is where your reasoning first appears; this course gives it a structure.

Facing a complaint of non-compliance with the Code

Non-compliance with a code of professional conduct is a ground of complaint in its own right under the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011. Section 3 works through the six principles of the Code in effect from 14 February 2025 — Respect, Accountability, Competence, Trust, Collaboration and Leadership — and what each asks of you in practice.

Before the Preliminary Proceedings Committee

The committee decides whether to refer the complaint to the Fitness to Practise Committee, find insufficient cause, refer it elsewhere or suggest mediation. Dated remediation can be shown from the first letter onwards.

Facing a fitness to practise inquiry

The complaint has been referred to the Fitness to Practise Committee for a sworn oral inquiry. Remediation completed before the hearing, dated and documented, is evidence you can put before the committee and the Board.

Under an undertaking, conditions or a sanction

An undertaking or consent, conditions attached to your registration or a sanction from the Board may ask you to show what you have done to address the concern. The course gives you a dated certificate for 2 CPD hours in ethics.

The concerns this course speaks to

Professional and ethical boundaries

Expensive gifts from a family you cared for, a friendship that went beyond the professional one, a relationship with a colleague that went beyond a working one, a dual relationship. A boundaries breach can involve a patient or a colleague. Section 7 compares a weak and a strong response from a midwife who accepted expensive gifts, and Section 3 covers collaboration and respect between colleagues.

Probity, records and an allegation of dishonesty

A chart backdated to cover a missed observation, an entry that is not what happened, a charge for a dressing change that was never performed. Probity, honesty and accountability have a section of their own (Section 6), and Section 7 compares responses to inadequate documentation in midwifery.

Consent and an informed refusal

Care given without valid consent, a refusal of pain relief or monitoring treated as a problem to be managed rather than a decision to be respected. The course covers autonomy and patient choice (Section 2) and informed consent as an ethical dilemma (Section 4).

Confidentiality and data protection

A patient discussed in the canteen, files left visible at the nurses’ station, wound photographs sent from a personal email account. Section 5 covers the ethical duty of confidentiality, GDPR compliance, confidentiality in the digital era and the consequences of breaches, and Section 4 the conflict between confidentiality and a duty to report.

A medication error and accountability

The wrong dose given, the error blamed on workload, the patient or the prescriber not told. Section 6 covers accountability in clinical practice with a weak and a strong response to a wrong insulin dose, and Section 7 compares responses to a medication error.

Dignity and how you spoke to a patient

A patient in pain told they were overreacting, care that was judgemental or unequal. Respect, the first principle of the Code (care given with respect, dignity and compassion), is covered in Section 3, justice and fair care in Section 2, and Section 7 sets a weak and a strong response to a dismissive remark side by side.

Online conduct, social media and telehealth

A case story posted without a name but with enough detail to identify the patient, an antenatal teleconsultation overheard in a shared office. Section 4 and Section 5 cover digital professionalism and social media, and Section 5 telehealth and virtual care.

When two obligations conflict

Autonomy against your clinical judgement; confidentiality against someone else’s safety; your conscience against a patient’s access to care; limited equipment between two patients. Section 4 works through five dilemmas of Irish nursing and midwifery practice and Section 2 how to balance the principles.

Facing an NMBI complaint or fitness to practise inquiry? This course helps you remediate — and show it.

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)

What the course covers

Ten sections and 54 lessons, with a reflective quiz closing each of the first nine and a post-course assessment at the end.

Section 01

Introduction — Why Ethics Matters in Nursing and Midwifery in Ireland

Five lessons

Section 02

Core Ethical Principles — Autonomy, Beneficence, Non-Maleficence, Justice

Five lessons

Section 03

NMBI Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics — Key Standards

Seven lessons

Section 04

Common Ethical Dilemmas in Irish Nursing and Midwifery Practice

Five lessons

Section 05

Confidentiality, Digital Professionalism, and GDPR

Six lessons

Section 06

Probity, Honesty, and Accountability in Nursing and Midwifery

Six lessons

Section 07

Weak vs Strong Ethical Responses — Case Comparisons

Six lessons

Section 08

Demonstrating Ethics in Fitness-to-Practise and Remediation Processes

Six lessons

Section 09

Embedding Ethics into Professional Identity and Resilience

Six lessons

Section 10

Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Two lessons, Conclusion and Key Takeaways, and the post-course assessment

Show every lesson title

Section 01 · Introduction — Why Ethics Matters in Nursing and Midwifery in Ireland: The Role of Ethics in Nursing and Midwifery; Why Regulators Prioritise Ethics; Ethics and Professional Identity; Consequences of Ethical Lapses; Why Ethics Matters Today.
Section 02 · Core Ethical Principles — Autonomy, Beneficence, Non-Maleficence, Justice: Autonomy — Respecting Patient Choice; Beneficence — Acting in the Patient’s Best Interest; Non-Maleficence — “Do No Harm”; Justice — Fairness and Equality in Care; Balancing Principles in Practice.
Section 03 · NMBI Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics — Key Standards: Principle 1 — Respect; Principle 2 — Accountability; Principle 3 — Competence; Principle 4 — Trust; Principle 5 — Collaboration; Principle 6 — Leadership; Application of the Code in Fitness-to-Practise Cases.
Section 04 · Common Ethical Dilemmas in Irish Nursing and Midwifery Practice: Informed Consent and Autonomy; Confidentiality vs Duty to Report; Allocation of Scarce Resources; Conflicts of Personal Beliefs and Patient Rights; Digital Professionalism and Social Media.
Section 05 · Confidentiality, Digital Professionalism, and GDPR: The Ethical Duty of Confidentiality; GDPR Compliance in Nursing and Midwifery; Confidentiality in the Digital Era; Digital Professionalism and Social Media; Telehealth and Virtual Care; Consequences of Breaches.
Section 06 · Probity, Honesty, and Accountability in Nursing and Midwifery: Probity as a Core Ethical Duty; Honesty in Documentation and Communication; Financial Integrity and Billing Practices; Accountability in Clinical Practice; Consequences of Dishonesty and Lack of Accountability; Building a Culture of Probity and Accountability.
Section 07 · Weak vs Strong Ethical Responses — Case Comparisons: Nursing — Medication Error; Midwifery — Inadequate Documentation; Nursing — Confidentiality Breach; Midwifery — Boundary Violation; Nursing — Disrespectful Communication; Lessons Across Cases.
Section 08 · Demonstrating Ethics in Fitness-to-Practise and Remediation Processes: Why Ethical Demonstration Matters; How the NMBI Assesses Ethical Behaviour; Weak vs Strong Demonstrations; Evidence That Reassures Regulators; Remediation Portfolios; Long-Term Monitoring and Growth.
Section 09 · Embedding Ethics into Professional Identity and Resilience: Ethics as Professional Identity; Daily Ethical Habits; Reflection and Accountability as Ongoing Practice; Building Resilience to Uphold Ethics; Mentorship and Role Modelling; Sustaining Ethics Across a Career.
Section 10 · Conclusion and Key Takeaways: Conclusion; Key Takeaways.

How to respond to an NMBI complaint or fitness to practise inquiry

Whether it goes to the case officer, the Preliminary Proceedings Committee or the Fitness to Practise Committee, a written response to an ethics complaint has to show your reasoning and your accountability. These are the four parts to set out, and what the course gives you for each.

Nobody reading your response can know what you were thinking at the time; they can only read what you write now.

The obligations engagedWhich principles the situation engaged — autonomy, benefit, avoiding harm, fairness, dignity, confidentiality.Section 2 sets out the four principles and Section 3 the six principles of the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics (Respect, Accountability, Competence, Trust, Collaboration and Leadership), so you can name them.
The conflictWhere two of them conflicted, stated plainly.Section 4 works through five dilemmas of Irish nursing and midwifery practice, from informed refusal to conscientious objection and scarce resources.
Your part, ownedWhat you did, with what you knew at the time, and its effect on the patient — without blaming the ward or the workload.Section 6 covers accountability, and Section 7 sets weak and strong responses side by side in five cases.
The reconsiderationWhat you would weigh differently now, with dated evidence of what has changed.Section 8 covers the evidence of remediation and the remediation portfolio — and this course is a dated item for it.

An acknowledgement followed by the word "but" reads as a defence, not as insight.

Take advice from your indemnifier, your union or professional body, or a solicitor before you respond to anyone.

Facing an NMBI complaint or fitness to practise inquiry? This course helps you remediate — and show it.

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)

How this course helps with an NMBI complaint

Insight may be weighed when a sanction is decided

The course pairs weak and strong responses to five situations — a wrong antibiotic dose, a blood pressure not recorded in labour, a diagnosis discussed in the canteen, expensive gifts accepted from a family, and a patient’s pain dismissed — and shows what separates them: an honest admission, the standard named, targeted CPD, and safeguards that can be checked, such as audits, supervisor reports and patient feedback. The NMBI’s Guidance on Sanctions says the insight of the nurse or midwife may be a relevant consideration on sanction, and warns: “Mere acknowledgement of the findings does not necessarily demonstrate insight.”

Remediation you can evidence

Section 8 sets out what a remediation portfolio contains: reflective writing, CPD certificates, audit results, supervisor or mentor feedback, and patient or colleague surveys. Among the mitigating factors the Guidance lists is “whether the nurse or midwife has taken remedial action where appropriate”, with acknowledgement and early admission and evidence of an apology. For the stages from the first letter to the High Court, see the fitness to practise process in Ireland, explained.

Read the primary sources

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)

Who wrote it

Dr Shehzad Iqbal

Course author and facilitator, Healthcare Ethics Ireland

Dr Iqbal wrote this course. He combines clinical practice with a formal postgraduate qualification in healthcare law and ethics, and has worked with registrants across the regulated health professions, online and face to face, since 2020.

He founded Probity & Ethics in the United Kingdom in 2020 and Healthcare Ethics Courses, which issues the certificates, in 2025. More about us.

MBBS · MRCS · MRCGP · Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Law and Ethics, University of Dundee

Written and reviewed by Dr Shehzad Iqbal. Last reviewed 22 October 2026.

In short

Ethics and Ethical Standards for Nurses and Midwives is a two-hour, self-paced remediation course for nurses and midwives registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland who face a complaint, a case officer’s letter, a Preliminary Proceedings Committee decision or a fitness to practise inquiry, written to the NMBI Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics. It covers the four principles — autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice; the six principles of the Code, from Respect to Leadership, and how the Code is applied in fitness to practise cases; five dilemmas of Irish nursing and midwifery practice in which obligations conflict; confidentiality, GDPR, digital professionalism and telehealth; probity, honesty in documentation, financial integrity and accountability; five weak and strong responses compared; and what the NMBI looks for when it assesses ethical behaviour, with the evidence a remediation portfolio holds. Ten sections, the first nine closing with a reflective quiz, a post-course assessment, and a dated certificate from Healthcare Ethics Courses. It is remediation and dated evidence of it; it decides no complaint, and it is not a substitute for advice from your indemnifier, your union or professional body, or a solicitor.

When two principles conflict at the bedside

An ethics complaint about a nurse or midwife need not describe someone who ignored ethics. It can describe someone who followed one principle and did not notice that another was engaged. Respecting a refusal, protecting a patient from harm, keeping a confidence and sharing scarce time and equipment fairly can all point the same way; the shift that leads to a complaint can be the one in which they did not, and the question afterwards is whether you saw the conflict and decided it, or simply acted.

The course sets out each principle and the Code’s standards, the ways each can be breached, and applies them to telehealth, social media and electronic records as well as the ward, the community and the labour room. It then shows how to account for a decision honestly, and what changes a response from a defence into evidence of insight.

In a written response, name the principles that were in conflict, say which you put first and why, and say what you would weigh differently now.

What these words mean

The terms that decide where a complaint goes, and the principles the course is built on.

Preliminary Proceedings Committee: The NMBI committee that investigates a complaint first, assisted by a case officer, and decides whether to refer it to the Fitness to Practise Committee for an inquiry, find insufficient cause, refer it to another body or suggest mediation. In 2024 it decided 100 complaints and referred 45.
Professional misconduct: The first ground of complaint in section 55 of the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011. The grounds also include poor professional performance and non-compliance with a code of professional conduct.
Fitness to practise inquiry: A sworn oral inquiry into a referred complaint by the NMBI’s Fitness to Practise Committee, in public unless the committee decides otherwise, with allegations to be proven beyond reasonable doubt. The Board decides any sanction under section 69, and the High Court confirms any sanction heavier than advice, admonishment or censure.
Undertakings and consents: Agreements under section 65 reached during a fitness to practise inquiry, which need the Board’s agreement; the Act also provides for consents before an inquiry under section 57A. In 2024, 12 undertakings or consents concluded matters at PPC stage. Breaching one is itself a ground of complaint.

The four principles and other terms used on this page

Autonomy: The patient’s right to make informed decisions about their own care, including a refusal, even where it differs from professional advice. Breached by pressure, incomplete information or a refusal not respected or not documented.
Beneficence: The obligation to act for the patient’s welfare, judged by their needs rather than institutional or financial pressure. It does not override an informed refusal by a patient who has capacity.
Non-maleficence: The obligation not to cause avoidable harm, through errors, unsafe practice or a failure to escalate: a medication checked against a complete prescription, a concern raised when it arises.
Justice: Fair, non-discriminatory care: equal respect for public and private patients, an interpreter arranged, scarce equipment allocated on clinical need.
Informed consent: Agreement to care given by a patient who has capacity, has been told what they need to know to decide, and is free to decline. A consent complaint asks whether each of these was present and whether the record shows it.
Confidentiality: The duty to keep patient information private unless the patient consents or disclosure is justified. The course covers GDPR, electronic records, social media and telehealth.
Conscientious objection: A refusal on grounds of conscience to take part in a lawful treatment. The course covers the conflict between conscience and patient access, and the duty not to abandon the patient.
Probity: Honesty and integrity in records, communication and any billing. The course treats dishonesty as a breach of probity whether or not a patient came to harm.
Open disclosure: Openness with a patient when care has caused harm. The Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023 commenced on 26 September 2024, apart from section 68, and candour is the subject of a companion course.

The standards and provisions a complaint about a nurse or midwife engages

The NMBI publishes the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics, and a complaint about a nurse or midwife is made and decided under the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011. These are the Code, the stage that decides whether a complaint goes to inquiry and the sections of the Act behind them.

NMBI — Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives

The edition in effect from 14 February 2025 replaces those of May 2021 and December 2014. The Code tells a nurse or midwife not to use their professional position to form a relationship of a sexual, emotional or exploitative nature, to treat colleagues with respect, and to act immediately and report any error, unsafe behaviour or unethical conduct. Read it.

For this course: Section 3 works through the six principles of the Code (Respect, Accountability, Competence, Trust, Collaboration and Leadership) and how the Code is applied in fitness to practise cases, so that a response can name the principle engaged.

Section 55 — the grounds of complaint

A person, including the Board, may make a complaint to the chief executive officer. The grounds include professional misconduct, poor professional performance, non-compliance with a code of professional conduct, a relevant medical disability, a failure to comply with a condition, an undertaking or a consent, an irregularity in relation to the custody, prescription or supply of a controlled drug, and a conviction for an offence triable on indictment. Read it.

For this course: The conduct an ethics complaint describes — consent, confidentiality, dignity, honesty, a boundary — and non-compliance with the Code are the subject of Sections 2 to 7.

The Preliminary Proceedings Committee

The PPC investigates a complaint, assisted by a case officer. Its published options: refer the complaint to the Fitness to Practise Committee for a sworn oral inquiry, find insufficient cause, refer it to another body, or suggest mediation or informal resolution. In 2024 it decided 100 complaints and referred 45 to the Fitness to Practise Committee. Read it.

For this course: Remediation started while the PPC considers the complaint carries a date before its decision; Section 8 covers what reflective statements, insight and remediation evidence should show.

Sections 69 and 72 — sanctions and High Court confirmation

The Board may impose advice, admonishment or censure in writing; censure with a fine not exceeding €2,000; conditions; transfer to another division of the Register; suspension; cancellation; or a prohibition on applying for restoration. The Board must apply to the High Court to confirm a heavier sanction; since 1 August 2021, advice, admonishment or censure also takes effect only when the Court confirms it or the 21 days to appeal pass without an appeal. Read it.

For this course: The Guidance on Sanctions lists remedial action among the mitigating factors; the course is dated evidence of remediation completed before the Board decides.

Also engaged: Section 65 — undertakings and consents agreed during an inquiry, which need the Board’s agreement · Section 57A — a consent before an inquiry; the NMBI’s web pages do not explain how it is applied · S.I. 409/2021 — the commencement on 1 August 2021 of the amended sections 55 and 72 to 74.

What happens after a complaint about a nurse or midwife reaches the NMBI

The NMBI describes four stages: complaint and investigation, inquiry, a decision on the allegations and on sanction, and High Court confirmation where the Act requires it. Before you reply at any of them, the NMBI advises you to “contact your representative body and / or obtain legal advice” (NMBI).

The complaint arrives
Anyone, including the Board, may make a complaint in writing. In 2024 the NMBI recorded 109 new complaints: 49 from employers, 44 from the public and 16 from the Board (State of Complaints 2024). A case officer writes to you enclosing the complaint and any supporting documents.
Your response
Responding is optional, no fixed deadline is published, and you may ask for an extension of time to respond (NMBI). What you send is the first account of your insight that the committee reads, so take advice before you write it.
The Preliminary Proceedings Committee decides
The PPC may refer the complaint to the Fitness to Practise Committee for a sworn oral inquiry, find insufficient cause, refer it to another body, or suggest mediation or informal resolution (NMBI). Mediation needs the consent of the complainant and the registrant and the Board’s agreement, and lasts a maximum of one day (mediation).
Undertakings and consents
Undertakings and consents under section 65 are agreements reached during an inquiry and need the Board’s agreement (NMBI booklet); the Act also provides for consents before an inquiry (section 57A). In 2024, 12 undertakings or consents concluded matters at PPC stage and the Fitness to Practise Committee recommended 32.
The fitness to practise inquiry
The Fitness to Practise Committee hears the allegations at a sworn oral inquiry, in public unless it decides that part or all of it should be private. Allegations “must be proven beyond reasonable doubt at inquiry” (NMBI). In 2024, 30 inquiries were held and concluded.
The Board’s sanction and the High Court
The Board decides the sanction under section 69; in 2024 it imposed 8 sanctions (17 in 2023). The Board must apply to the High Court to confirm any sanction heavier than advice, admonishment or censure, and the registrant has 21 days to appeal (section 72).

Facing an NMBI complaint or fitness to practise inquiry? This course helps you remediate — and show it.

Buy this course — €100 (€70 with Bulk Buy 10)

Not a nurse or midwife? Each Irish regulator has its own Act and its own process — courses for doctors, dentists, pharmacists and all other healthcare professionals, or every course →

Frequently asked questions

What should a response to an NMBI complaint about ethics contain?

Your reasoning: which principles were engaged, where they conflicted, what you did and why, what the effect was, and what you would weigh differently now. Name the standard in the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics that the conduct did not meet before the NMBI names it, and attach dated evidence of what has changed. Have your indemnifier, your union or professional body, or a solicitor read it before it is sent.

Should I take advice before I respond to the NMBI?

Yes — before anything is written to the case officer, the Preliminary Proceedings Committee or your employer. The NMBI itself advises registrants to contact their representative body or obtain legal advice. The Clinical Indemnity Scheme covers clinical negligence claims for nurses in public health agencies, but says it does not provide representation before professional regulatory bodies. Speak to your indemnifier, your union or professional body, or a solicitor. Nothing on this page is legal advice.

Is there a deadline for my response?

The NMBI publishes no fixed deadline. Responding is optional, and you may ask for an extension of time to respond. Take the time to get advice and to start remediation, so that your response can describe what you have already done rather than what you intend to do.

Can this course be used as evidence of remediation in an NMBI complaint?

It can be part of the evidence, but no course decides a complaint. The NMBI’s Guidance on Sanctions lists remedial action, acknowledgement and early admission, and an apology among the mitigating factors, and says conditions may require a nurse or midwife to undertake a specific course. This course gives you a dated certificate and the material for a reflection that names the standard. Check the wording of any condition with your adviser before you rely on a course.

The complaint says I did not comply with the Code. What does that mean?

Non-compliance with a code of professional conduct is a ground of complaint under section 55 of the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011, alongside professional misconduct and poor professional performance. Section 3 of the course works through the six principles of the Code (Respect, Accountability, Competence, Trust, Collaboration and Leadership) and how the Code is applied in fitness to practise cases.

When can I share patient information without consent?

The course treats this as a conflict between confidentiality and a duty to report (Section 4), and sets out the ethical duty of confidentiality and GDPR compliance (Section 5). Before you disclose, or if a complaint says you should not have, take advice: whether a disclosure was justified depends on the facts and on the law.

How is this course different from Professionalism and Professional Standards for Nurses and Midwives?

This course is about the reasoning behind a decision: the principles involved, the conflicts between them, and how you account for them. The Professionalism course is about conduct and behaviour: communication, documentation, digital practice, conduct under pressure and professional identity. A complaint that says a decision was wrong fits this course; one that describes how you behaved fits the Professionalism course; some complaints need both.

How long does it take, and how long do I have access?

The course is 2 CPD hours, self-paced, with access for twelve months from purchase. The certificate is issued on completion, dated, with the course title and the CPD hours. The NMBI’s Professional Competence Scheme guideline is published in draft with its start date to be decided, so we make no claim about how these hours count under it.

Can I get a certificate with a later date?

No. The certificate records the date you completed the course, and that date does not change. If the NMBI, the Fitness to Practise Committee or an employer asks for recent evidence, you buy the course again: half price within twelve months of your original purchase, the full €100 after that.

Will anyone be told that I am taking the course?

No. Nobody is told you are enrolled. We do not share participant details with the NMBI, an employer, a union or an indemnifier; the certificate reaches them only if you attach it to your own response.

A complaint can raise more than one issue. These are the courses that pair with this one.

Professionalism and Professional Standards for Nurses and Midwives

For an NMBI complaint about conduct: core attributes of professionalism, the NMBI’s standards, unsafe practice under pressure, and professionalism in communication, documentation and digital practice.