Registration fees waived for retired nurses returning to work in Covid battle 

Fees are being waived to help boost staff numbers to support the Covid-19 response. File photo: Dan Linehan

Retired nurses and midwives returning to join the battle against Covid-19 will no longer have to pay a registration fee, and anyone who paid last year will have their money refunded.

The move comes as the HSE ramps up its vaccination workforce to prepare for the opening of mass vaccination centres from late March.

The registration fee is €350 annually.

Yesterday, the Nursing and Midwifery Board Ireland (NMBI) said the fee will be waived for anyone who stopped work before December 1, 2020, and now wishes to return.

A spokeswoman said: “The aim of this policy is to increase the available workforce to support the Covid-19 response.

“NMBI is currently updating the registration system MyNMBI so that, from Monday, 1 March 2021, fees will be waived automatically upon restoration.” 

Fine Gael spokesman on Health Colm Burke welcomed the move, saying: “This is an important decision.

We need all hands on deck now.

He said this could be a boost to the vaccination programme.

The HSE has said more than 6,000 trained vaccinators have now taken the online course for these particular vaccines but many more will be needed.

The nursing board has called on anyone with vaccination experience to re-register.

“Retired nurses and midwives who are willing to assist in the vaccination programme should contact the HSE as well as NMBI to identify their availability,” the spokeswoman said.

She said they hope to see retired nurses and midwives supporting the vaccine delivery across the mass vaccination centres.

Information given to Mr Burke on the fee waiver by the Department of Health also indicates that nurses and midwives who were on a career break or maternity leave will qualify for the fee waiver.