Adelaide Hospital Society
The Adelaide Hospital Society invited me to attend their nursing conference which had as its theme ‘Careful nursing – sensitive, competent, professional nursing: Closing the gap between nursing practice and nursing science in contemporary nursing in Ireland’. It was an excellent day giving both the patient and the nurse’s perspective on experiences and initiatives that are being rolled out in Tallaght Hospital.

At the Adelaide Hospital Society meeting in TCD were: Claire Mahon, INMO president; Rosin Whiting, chief executive of Adelaide Hospital Society; and Ann Maher, Galway Mayo Institute of Technology

Section conferences
I att ended the ODN Section conference, which was held in Limerick in March. The theme for the day was ‘Operation Excellence’. It was a very informative conference with an excellent line up of speakers and it was very well attended. There were a number of entries for the poster competition, all of which were of a very high standard. Congratulations to the organising committee on such a successful event. (See page 18-19 for full details)

I also addressed the OHN Section annual conference, which was held in Dublin in early April. The theme was ‘Occupational Health – Empowering through knowledge and expertise’. Once again, it was an excellent day with really good speakers. I have to commend the Section officers for their time and effort in organising the event and the very interesting presentations. More details on this conference will appear in the June issue.

The above conferences are examples of events that are organised by our section officers. I would encourage you all to affiliate with your appropriate section, get involved and support these excellent educational opportunities which all carry CEUs. These occasions are great opportunities for networking and meeting colleagues across the country with the same interests. It is also important to attend your local branch meetings – check the Diary page or log on to www.inmo.ie for details of upcoming events/meetings.

Titanic Centre Belfast
The first all-Ireland Conference on ‘Delivering Safer Care’ was held at the Titanic Centre in Belfast in March. The conference was a North/South initiative hosted by the Public Health Agency (Health and Social Care Forum) and other partners. It was the first all-Ireland conference on patient safety and quality improvement and there was an excellent line up of speakers. The event acted as a showcase for quality improvement and patient safety initiatives from both sides of the border. With more than 300 delegates in attendance, the conference gave an opportunity to healthcare workers to present their quality initiatives and posters. I never cease to be amazed at the amount of time and effort people put into projects and I am very proud to be part of a service where the staff are truly interested in providing high-quality, safe care.

New Executive Council
Since last month the Executive Council Elections have taken place. I would like to congratulate all of you who have been elected. A sincere thanks to all who came forward for election and to all of you who took time to use your vote. For full details on the new Executive please see pages 6-7.

Mini Marathon
This year’s Flora Women’s Mini Marathon will take place on Monday, June 2. I will lead an INMO group raising funds on behalf of the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland. Please let me know if you have registered so that you can join me, my daughters and the INMO group.

I would also like to mention the Annual Pieta House Darkness into Light 5k Walk/Run commencing at 4.15am on May 10. I am sure most of you know that Pieta House provides an excellent free, therapeutic approach to people who are in suicidal distress and those who engage in self-harm. The event will take place in locations nationwide –for those attending ADC there will be an event in Kilkenny so an early start will have to be made! You can visit http://dil.pieta.ie to enrol.

World Café event
I att end ed a World Café Event organised on behalf of the Irish Association of Directors of Nursing and Midwifery. Also in attendance was Dr Siobhan O’Halloran, chief nursing officer and nursing representatives from major hospitals, the HSE and third-level institutions. It was a very interesting event where we explored issues in relation to our professions. I await with interest the feedback from the event and was delighted to attend on your behalf.

Get in touch
You can contact me at the INMO headquarters at Tel: 01 6640 600, through the president’s corner on www.inmo.ie or by email to: president@inmo.ie

From the President - On the ground with the president