Over the past 10 years, nursing and midwifery in Ireland has experienced considerable change. ThiS\ud
has been driven principally by the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission on\ud
Nursing (Government of Ireland, 1998) and the implementation of what has become known as the\ud
Health Setvice Reform Programme (DoHC, 2003a) . Over the same period Irish society has become\ud
wealthier and more culturally d1verse. Th1s has brought With a series of socio-economiC and cultural\ud
challenges that impact on the health services and on the profession of nursing and midwifery In\ud
2006, the HSE introduced the Transformation Programme 2007-2010 (HSE. 2006b), herald1ng further\ud
radical changes for the way in which health services are delivered in Ireland This has major\ud
Implications for nursing and midwifery