Venepuncture and Peripheral Intravenous Cannulation for Nurses and Midwives

The aims of this initiative:

• Develop and implement a national nursing and midwifery education, training and competency validation programme in venpuncture and peripheral intravenous cannulation for nurses and midwives.
• Develop and implement a system within HSE and the Voluntary services that will ensure that based on service demand nurses and midwives currently in employment can avail  of education and training and gain clinical competence in venepuncture and peripheral intravenous cannulation.
• Identify the health service priority areas where nurses and midwives require the skills of venepuncture and peripheral intravenous cannulation, and schedule for training.
• Investigate curriculum changes to the An Bord Altranais Requirements & Standards Document for nursing and midwifery undergraduate education programmes to encompass education and training in venepuncture and peripheral intravenous cannulation and to ensure that competency can be obtained upon completion of the programme.

Summary to Date

• Two e-learning programmes have been developed and uploaded to HSELand (Venepuncture and Peripheral IV Cannulation). Education programmes to meet service demand are available from Centres of Nursing and Midwifery & Children’s Nurse Education.
• A Guiding Framework for Education, Training and Competence Validation in Venepuncture and Peripheral IV Cannulation for Nurses and Midwives has been published. The guiding framework document includes guidance for educators, learner handbooks, and national policies on Venepuncture and Peripheral IV Cannulation for both adult and child.
• 4,452 nurses/midwives are now trained in IV cannulation.  This allows patients to avail of phlebotomy and IV therapies in a range of clinical settings within the HSE without having to be admitted to acute hospitals via emergency departments. For example patients in residential units who become dehydrated or have simple infections can now have their treatment within their own unit without having to move to the local acute hospital.

ONMSD Contact Lead - Anne Gallen HSE North Western Area, Iona House, Main Street, Ballyshannon
Co Donegal, Email: Anne.Gallen@hse.ie