UK nurses and midwives who should have been banned have worked for last 12 years | Nursing
Nurses and midwives who should be banned from treating patients have been working for the past 12 years amid “potentially dangerous” failures by medical regulators.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) admitted its “completely and utterly unacceptable” mistakes meant it had failed to protect the public from around 15 professionals who should have been banned from working in healthcare in the UK for breaking the law.
Nurses and midwives told the NMC about their criminal convictions when they applied to join or remain on the regulator’s register; They had to be on this register to serve in Britain. But NMC staff assessing the applications did not then refer them to a deputy registrar at the regulator to investigate and decide whether they could treat patients, which they should have done.
Some 15 nurses and midwives involved are now at risk of being dismissed because they have broken the law so seriously that they should not be allowed to be in contact with patients.
The Patients’ Association has warned that the NMC’s failure to properly review the background of those involved is undermining patients’ confidence that medical staff are safe to care for them.
The Royal College of Nursing accused the regulator of “a stunning failure in its core purpose of protecting the public and providing assurance to the nursing workforce that they and their colleagues have undergone the necessary checks”.
Prof Lynn Woolsey, the union’s chief nursing officer, added: “The NMC must ensure that all people working as registered nurses do so at registration and throughout their career. For individuals to make appropriate declarations about their criminal convictions and/or medical conditions over such a long period of time, without appropriate checks to determine their fitness to practice, is a potentially dangerous regulatory failure.”
The NMC acknowledged that its failure to properly investigate the “health and character concerns” disclosed to it by nurses and midwives was a major mistake and apologised.
Under NMC rulesAny nurse, midwife or nursing assistant who wishes to join or remain on the register must disclose any criminal charges brought against them or any police cautions, convictions or paroles that may make them unfit to contact patients, or any medical condition that may adversely affect their ability to do so.
However, the regulator acknowledged that a total of 434 people had not been properly risk assessed in the last 12 years. Although most of these are thought to be unlikely to pose any risk to patients, up to 15 of the 434 are recommended to be cancelled.
“It is estimated that registration assistants may recommend that up to 15 nursing and midwifery specialists be removed from the nursing and midwifery register of 867,935,” he said.
The final decision on their fate will be made by independent disciplinary committees over the next few months, leaving the staff involved uncertain about their future.
Paul Rees, chief executive of the NMC, said: “I would like to apologize for our failure to ensure that all health and character declarations are assessed in line with our full process for 12 years. This is completely and utterly unacceptable.”
Rees became the regulator’s boss following an incident last year. independent review He concluded that in 2024 the organization was beset by a host of problems including bullying, harassment, racism and the failure of its systems.
Under his leadership, NMC promotes a “culture of conversation” and encourages staff to highlight areas where they need to do better. As a result, “a member of our staff alerted us that the full process for assessing health and character concerns had not been followed,” Rees said.
The regulator then appointed a team of paralegals to assess whether a total of 18,060 applications over the last 12 years had been handled properly. This revealed that 434 cases were not reviewed because they were not forwarded to a deputy registrar.
Of these 434 cases, 402 involved healthcare workers who were criminally charged or convicted, cautioned, or on probation; The other 32 cases involved people with a health condition that could affect their ability to safely treat patients.
Woolsey demanded an independent investigation into why the NMC’s failings remained secret for so long. “This is the latest in a catalog of failings at the NMC and once again raises the question of whether it is fit for purpose as the regulator of our profession. “Today’s vague apology will not be enough.
“The NMC must ensure that it is safe for anyone working as a registered nurse to do so upon registration and throughout their career. It is a potentially dangerous regulatory error for individuals to make appropriate declarations about criminal convictions and/or medical conditions over such a long period of time, without appropriate checks to determine their fitness to practice.”
Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, welcomed the NMC’s transparency but added: “Patients treated by people who should never be on the register should not be left wondering whether they have been affected, but they deserve honest and direct communication.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Nurses and midwives play a vital role in our NHS and it is crucial that the public has confidence in the record, which is why we support the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s new leadership to address the historic issues it inherited.
“Under its new leadership, the NMC has been open with us about this historic failure and we welcome their comprehensive response, which includes the rapid review of all affected cases.”
