Why NMC must stop short-changing you and transform its own fitness to practise – fast
Nurse regulator’s reputation has taken a bruising after independent Afzal review found organisation has itself been unfit to practise – so what happens now?
Nurse regulator’s reputation has taken a bruising after an independent review found the organisation has been failing the profession and public – so what happens now?
Even those with some knowledge or experience of the toxic culture at the Nursing and Midwifery Council were shocked by the extent of the failings at the regulator, laid bare in a damning report.
The independent review found the NMC had failed in its most fundamental duty to regulate the nursing profession effectively and keep the public safe.
Six nurses took their own lives while waiting for fitness to practise cases to conclude and the regulator was riddled with bullying, racism and sexism, the review found.
NMC told it must transform the organisation
Former north west England chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal, who led the review, recommended urgent action on a turnaround plan, which has been accepted by the NMC’s ruling council.
Improvements cannot come soon enough for an organisation that, rightly, holds nursing and midwifery registrants to high professional standards in education and practice, and on which the public relies to keep them safe.
Trust is vital in therapeutic relationships and the Code states registrants should be models of integrity and leadership for others to aspire to. That the NMC has failed to uphold these principles itself and lost the confidence of the profession is incredibly serious.
As a registrant, you cannot vote with your feet and take your ‘business’ elsewhere – you are compelled to pay the annual £120 registration fee to be able to practise in the UK.
Examples of positive management inside the NMC
Mr Afzal, whose team engaged with 85% of current NMC staff and spoke to unions, chief nurses and other stakeholders, did find examples of positive practice and management. And Sam Foster, executive director of professional practice, who blew the whistle on the culture on joining the NMC in March 2023, is certainly an exemplar.
Stakes are high for nurses if NMC fails to change
Now government must support nurses by holding the NMC to account and ensuring it is, itself, fit to practise. The Afzal report placed an onus on the NMC’s own regulator, the Professional Standards Authority to drill deeper into the body’s performance during its annual reviews – a recommendation the PSA said it accepts.
Without swift and robust action, your regulator risks damaging the reputation of nursing and leaving registrants feeling short-changed by sub-standard service.
Read the independent review into the NMC’s culture
