Welcome to the web site of the Nurses and Midwives Board of Western Australia.
To assist you, the web site has been organised to promote easy access and retrieval of information. The Board’s Customer Service Charter sets out our standards to ensure you receive a quality service. This web site is an extension of that service, so we welcome feedback both about the service you have received and about the web site content and organisation.
A Snippet of our History
The first Nurses Registration Board was established in 1922 and consisted of five members, two medical practitioners and three nurses; Dr E. Atkinson, principal medical officer was chairman. In 1944, the Nurses Act was amended to increase the membership to nine: the commissioner of public health, ex officio and chairman of the Board; the inspector- general of the insane, ex officio; two medical practitioners, one of whom was practising as an obstetrician; two senior registered nurses on the staff of an hospital and three other nurses, a general trained nurse, a mental nurse and midwifery nurse. In 1968, a new Act abolished the Nurses Registration Board and established the Nurses Board of Western Australia as an autonomous body, responsible to the Minister for Health and which had 18 members, five of whom were medical practitioners. In 1981, an Amendment to the Nurses Act 1968 reduced the number of board members to 16 and from 1992, a new Act established a Board with 12 members, none of whom were medical practitioners and with one consumer appointment. In 2007 the new Nurses and Midwives Act was implemented.
Nurses and Midwives Act 2006
The Nurses and Midwives Board of Western Australia (the Board) cordially advises nurses and midwives and the community of Western Australia that the Nurses and Midwives Act 2006 was proclaimed on the 18th September 2007.
Pursuant to the new Act (2006) the Board and all registered and enrolled nurses, midwives and nurse practitioners currently registered with the Board will need to comply with and practise in accordance with the Nurses and Midwives Act 2006.
The new Act is significant in that it recognises midwifery as a profession distinct from that of nursing thus allowing midwives to register directly with the Board. Other notable changes encompassed in the new Act include:
1. Divisions of the Register will be removed and replaced by four categories of registration: RN, EN, Midwife and Nurse Practitioner. 2. Renewal of registration under the new Act and Nurses and Midwives Regulations 2007 will revert to renewing nurses and midwives registration at one time period i.e. between the 1st November and 31st December of each year. This means that nurses and midwives will no longer be able to renew their registration by birth date as currently occurs. The ability, however, for nurses and midwives to renew their registration for a period of 1 or 3 years has been retained. 3. The establishment of both a Complaints Assessment and an Impairment Committee. This will facilitate a more flexible approach to the management of complaints, allowing for the separation of health related complaints for consideration by the Impairment Committee and not through a disciplinary process which used to be the case. All other matters relating to the professional standards of nurses and midwives will be assessed by the Complaints Assessment Committee. 4. The Board now comprises of the 13 members appointed by the Minister: a. 5 are to be registered nurses; b. one is to be a registered nurse who teaches nursing in a higher education institution; c. one is to be a registered nurse who practises in the area of mental health nursing; d. 2 are to be midwives; e. 2 are to be enrolled nurses f. one is to be a person who has knowledge of and experience in representing the interests of consumers; and g. one is to be a legal practitioner.
Changes to Fees, Fee Structure and Application Processes for Registering with the Nurses and Midwives Board of Western Australia With the Proclamation of the Nurses and Midwives Act 2006 (the Act), effective 19 September 2007, changes have been implemented to the fee structure when registering with the Board as stated below.
Under the Act an initial Application fee is now required when submitting an application to register with the Board which covers the assessment of the application and verification of all documentation. These fees are non-refundable.
In the event that an application is withdrawn or not accepted any further re-application to register with the Board must be accompanied by another application fee, as outlined above.
Application Fee Enrolled Nurse, Midwife, Registered Nurse $120Qualification not yet approved under section 27 (overseas qualifications) $220Nurse Practitioner $140Provisional (S29) or Conditional (S30) $220Mutual Recognition $120
Once your application has been assessed and should you be eligible for registration with the Board an Initial Registration fee will apply as listed below. Please note that this entitles you to be registered until the 31 December 2007, at which point you will need to renew your licence to practice in accordance with the Act.
Initial Registration Fee Lodged in Lodged in Jan-July July-Dec Enrolled Nurse, Midwife, Registered Nurse $120 $60 Nurse Practitioner $140 $70Mutual Recognition $120 $60
Initial Registration Fee Lodged in Lodged in Jan-July July-Dec
Enrolled Nurse, Midwife, Registered Nurse $120 $60 Nurse Practitioner $140 $70Mutual Recognition $120 $60
Functions of the Board under the Nurses and Midwives Act 2006 The Nurses and Midwives Act 2006 is an Act to: - provide for the regulation of the practice of nursing and midwifery and the registration of persons as nurses and midwives - repeal the Nurses Act 1992 - make consequential amendments to various Acts, and for related purposes.FunctionsThe functions of the Board are as follows - (Section 10 Nurses and Midwives Act 2006):
• to advise the Minister on matters to which this Act applies; • to administer the scheme of registration under Part 4; • to facilitate and promote public education and research in relation to the practice of nursing and midwifery; • to monitor education in nursing and midwifery, and provide advice on that education to the Minister and to any person or body involved in that education; • to promote and encourage – o the continuing education of nurses and midwives in the practice of the their professions; and o increased levels of skill, knowledge and competence in the practice of nursing and midwifery; and• to perform other functions that are conferred on the Board under this Act or any other Act.
PowersThe Board has all the powers it needs to perform its functions.
The Board will be undertaking an education program to ensure all nurses and midwives and key stakeholders of the Board are provided with assistance to familiarise themselves with the provisions of the new Act. The Nurses and Midwives Act 2006 (can be found under Statutes at www.slp.wa.gov.au) and the Nurses and Midwives Regulations 2007 can be reviewed on the Western Australian Parliamentary website www.parliament.wa.gov.au. The Board’s address and current telephone contact details remain unchanged. Our new email info@nmbwa.org.au and web address www.nmbwa.org.au became operational on the 19th September 2007.
If nurses and midwives or members of the public have any queries regarding the new legislation please do not hesitate to contact the Board on 9421 1100 or email the Board at info@nmbwa.org.au. A Customer Service Officer will be available to assist you with any questions. The CEO of the Board will also be available to discuss any concerns people may have.