Exploration of the Role of Government Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers—A Scoping Review
Charlotte McArdle, Neal Cook, Caroline Crawford, Tanya McCanceABSTRACT
Aim
To synthesise current literature on the role of Government Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers (GCNMOs) in influencing strategic healthcare policy and to identify the factors that enable or hinder their contribution to national and global policy and decision making, highlighting gaps that can inform future role development.
Design
Scoping Review.
Review Methods
Joanna Briggs Institute methodology, reported using PRISMA‐ScR guidelines.
Data Sources
Searches were conducted across CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Medline (Ovid), Scopus, ProQuest and EMBASE (Ovid) with no date limits. Grey literature was reviewed using TRIP and Google Scholar (top 200 results) for 2015–2025. The AI tool Litmaps supported citation‐based identification of additional papers. Data were thematically analysed.
Results
Twenty‐two sources were included: 11 peer‐reviewed papers (five qualitative, four quantitative, two discussion papers) and 11 international reports (2015–2025). Five themes emerged: (1) Leadership is the most influential factor shaping GCNMOs' visibility, authority and strategic impact. (2) Role clarity remains limited, with persistent variation in scope, expectations and competencies. (3) Policy influence is significantly underutilised despite GCNMOs' potential to shape national and global health agendas. (4) Collaborative working is central to strengthening health systems and advancing nursing and midwifery leadership. (5) Evidence of impact shows that, when appropriately positioned and supported, GCNMOs can drive substantial workforce, policy and system‐level improvements.
Conclusion
Although the GCNMO role has gained prominence, gaps persist in standardised role descriptors, competency development and structural support. Clearer mandates, contemporary leadership frameworks, enhanced policy and workforce planning skills, and targeted investment in professional development are required to maximise theirs.
Impact
The absence of GCNMO roles represents a missed opportunity to integrate nursing and midwifery expertise into policy. Despite increasing global uptake, lack of standardisation limits effectiveness. Urgent development of leadership competencies—including workforce planning, geopolitical awareness, emergency preparedness and climate change—is essential to meet emerging system demands.
Patient Involvement
None.