Nurse fitness to practise cases still taking too long, report says
Positive aspects of NMC’s work are highlighted but it is told to do more to address FtP backlog
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has failed to meet standards for dealing with fitness to practise cases on time for the fourth year running.
The latest annual review of the NMC’s performance by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) found the NMC had achieved 17 out of 18 standards of good regulation and made progress in many areas, including efforts to promote equality, diversity and inclusion.
However, it was still taking too long to conclude fitness to practise (FtP) cases, leaving many nurses in limbo.
The report shows the NMC’s overall FtP caseload was 5,557 at the end of March this year, a 14% reduction from the same point in 2022.
Average time for a case to reach final hearing rose to 154 weeks
The number of cases open for more than a year has also gone down, but the number open for more than three years increased from 517 in 2021-22 to 729 in 2022-23.
It took longer on average for the NMC to reach decisions, with the average time from a case being received to the final hearing increasing from 143 weeks in 2021-22 to 154 weeks in 2022-23.
The report says: ‘Safely reducing the FtP caseload remains a clear focus for the NMC and it is working to achieve this. Although the caseload has reduced during 2022-23, there is more work to do to address the backlog.’
The PSA highlighted many positive aspects of the NMC’s work, including efforts to address inequalities and disparities within its regulatory processes.
NMC says it is continuing to make improvements and focus resources on the issue as its top priority
This has included staff training and development, reviewing appeal cases and working with employers to help identify patterns of unfairness.
The PSA found the NMC had proactively engaged with inquiries into failings in patient care and fed findings into its own work and received ‘very positive’ feedback from organisations it worked with.
NMC chief executive Andrea Sutcliffe said she was pleased the body had met 17 of the PSA’s standards but it was disappointing not to achieve the standard on FtP timeliness.
‘As a result, people are waiting longer than they should for a decision, and I know this can be distressing for both members of the public raising concerns and for the professionals those concerns are about,’ she said.
‘That’s why this remains our top priority – we’re continuing to make improvements and focus resources in this area so we can reach decisions on cases as quickly and safely as possible.’
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