How to make a complaint about a nurse or midwife
You may wish to make a complaint to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) if you are concerned about the behaviour, conduct, practice or health of a registered nurse or a registered midwife. You may also wish to make a complaint to NMBI if you become aware of an incident or incidents involving a nurse or midwife that may have compromised a patient’s safety or the protection of the public.
NMBI is legally responsible for considering complaints against nurses and midwives through its fitness to practise functions.
Who can make a complaint
Anyone can make a complaint about a nurse or midwife, including members of the public, patients, relatives of patients, employers and other health care staff. The Board of NMBI may also make a complaint about a nurse or midwife.
A complaint may be made for several reasons, including:
- Professional misconduct
- Poor professional performance
- Non-compliance with a code of professional conduct
- A medical disability
- An irregularity in relation to the custody, prescription or supply or a controlled drug or another drug that is likely to be abused.
It is important for you to note that NMBI can only consider complaints against registered nurses or registered midwives. If you are concerned that a person is practising as a nurse or midwife but is not registered, you should inform NMBI urgently as this is an offence. You can check whether a nurse or midwife is registered on our Register of Nurses and Midwives.
To find out more about the registration of nurses and midwives, go to the Registration section.
Submitting a complaint
The PPC of NMBI can only deal with written complaints. If you wish to make a complaint, please put your complaint in writing and post to:
PPC Division
Fitness to Practise Department
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland
18-20 Carysfort Avenue
Blackrock
Co. Dublin
Or alternatively please email your complaint to complaints@nmbi.ie.
If you wish you may submit your complaint to NMBI using the complaint form.
If you are considering making a complaint to NMBI, you should also consider what documentation you have to support any allegations. This may include completed investigation reports, copies of patients’ records, local or organisational protocols, and sick leave records.
Further information
You can find out more about what is involved in making a complaint about a nurse or midwife and what happens after a complaint is made on these pages:
Alternatively, you can read our Making a Complaint booklet which NMBI has prepared to assist members of the public and others to understand the complaints process.
What NMBI cannot do
NMBI cannot consider complaints about health care staff who are not registered nurses or registered midwives or hospitals or other health care settings. If you have complaints about other health care staff, you should refer to the Health Complaints website to identify which body you should contact.
Who can help
There are several patient groups which assist members of the public and others make complaints. A full list is available on our Who Can Help page.