Nursing Midwifery Planning and Development Units (NMPDU) work in tandem with the Office of the Nursing Services Director. NMPD is managed through four Area Directors and has the following functions:

• Strategic development of nursing and midwifery
• Promotion of standards of care
• Supporting services so that nurses and midwives provide optimum patient centred care
• Supporting professional development
• Enhancing practice for nurses and midwives
• Fostering workforce development through workforce planning initiatives
• Building capacity and leadership within nursing and midwifery

The Area Directors work collectively at national level under the direction of the Office of the Nursing Services Director and with the National Council for the Professional Development of Nursing and Midwifery (NCNM) and other key stakeholders. The functions of NMPD extend beyond the statutory services to include the voluntary sector, practice nursing and the independent sector. There is ongoing regional collaboration and planning at a strategic level with Directors of NMPD, Directors of Centres of Nursing, Midwifery and Children’s Nursing Education, Directors of Nursing and Midwifery, General Managers, Local Health Office Managers and corporate planning and human resources.