Call for Expressions of Interest: NMBI Expert Witness Panel

We are seeking expressions of interest from registered nurses and midwives to join our Expert Witness Panel for Fitness to Practise inquiries. 

Expert witnesses will work on behalf of NMBI’s CEO to give their professional opinion to the Fitness to Practise Committee considering complaints made against registrants. 

We are seeking individuals who:

• are currently registered in one or more of the 12 divisions of the Register of Nurses and Midwives maintained by NMBI. (Nurses and midwives registered in the United Kingdom may also apply)
• have a minimum of five years’ post-registration experience in nursing or midwifery (including public, private and voluntary sectors; specialist areas of practice within general, children and paediatric, psychiatry or mental health, intellectual disability, older persons and midwifery; advanced practice; prescribing; referral of radiological procedures; and end of life care)
• are currently employed in a senior nursing or midwifery post (Clinical Nurse or Midwife Manager 2 or above) within a practice setting (including Practice Development Co-ordinators, Clinical Facilitators, Advanced Nurse and Midwife Practitioners, Assistant Directors of Nursing or Midwifery, Directors of Nursing or Midwifery)
• have a good understanding of the role and functions of and the guidance provided by NMBI
• have good verbal and written communication, analytical and reasoning skills, IT skills, and understanding of GDPR and data security.

Expert witnesses may be required from all areas of practice; however, we frequently seek experts in such areas as midwifery and care of the older person in nursing homes or community hospitals. 

Expert witnesses are asked to provide their opinion to the Fitness to Practise Committee on whether the alleged conduct of a registrant amounts to professional misconduct, poor professional performance and/or non-compliance with a code of professional conduct. As such, it is necessary for the expert witness to have the requisite degree of expertise in the discipline and/or specialist area of nursing or midwifery practice to which the complaint relates. 

The work of the expert witness typically involves a review of documentation relating to a complaint against a registrant to identify instances (if any) of professional misconduct, poor professional performance and/or non-compliance with a code of professional conduct, preparing a report setting out their opinion, and possibly attending at an inquiry hearing. Additional information can be found in our Role of the Expert Witness (Second Edition) document.  

Interested individuals must submit a completed Expression of Interest Form and a copy of their CV to eoi@nmbi.ie. 

If you would like any further information on the panel and what is involved, you can contact ftp@nmbi.ie.   

Suitable individuals will then be included on NMBI’s Expert Witness Panel. Please note there is no guarantee of work arising from being placed on the panel.