MNHQ here: proposed changes to 'fitness to practise' process for nurses and midwives - have your say

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which regulates nurses and midwives, is consulting on its proposed new strategy 'Ensuring patient safety, enabling professionalism: a new strategic direction for fitness to practise'.

If someone raises a concern that a nurse or midwife isn’t meeting the NMC’s standards, it will investigate. If necessary, the NMC will act by limiting their practise or removing them from its register. This is called its Fitness to Practise process.


(You can read more about Fitness to Practise here.)

The NMC says:

"Openness and learning are key to patient safety and we want to encourage nurses and midwives to speak up at the earliest opportunity when things go wrong and see our fitness to practise process as an opportunity to learn and reflect."

"In cases where there’s no dispute about what happened or what sanction should be applied, we plan to conclude cases without the need for a public hearing, whilst still publishing the outcomes and the reasons behind them."

"We will always act immediately if patient safety is at risk, however, the proposed approach also recognises that employers are usually in the best position to resolve concerns immediately and that we should only take action if the concern has already been investigated by the employer."

"Under the proposals, those affected by failings in care will be supported through our new public support service and will only be called to give evidence at public hearings where absolutely necessary."

You can read more about the proposed changes here.

If you'd like to respond to the consultation, please read the consultation document and answer the consultation questions by 30 May.

And as ever, do let us know what you think.

Thanks
MNHQ