Nursing unions’ statements ‘misleading’

The row over price hikes in registration fees for nurses has intensified, with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland accusing nursing unions of making confusing and misleading statements.

The board’s chief executive, Maura Pidgeon, said comments made by union leaders about the dispute were “ill-founded, inaccurate and a flagrant attempt to smear the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland staff in the discharge of their statutory obligations”.

In a letter to the leaders of the Irish Nurses and Midwifes Organisation, the Psychiatric Nurses Association and Siptu, Dr Pidgeon expressed disappointment at their comments that nurses wishing to amend their direct debit arrangements for paying registration fees were facing difficulties.