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Petitions and activism

Protect the title Nurse in UK law petition. The title nurse can be used by anyone in the UK. Petition created by Professor Alison Leary RN

140 replies

Arbella2 · 06/10/2021 18:07

The title nurse can be used by anyone in the UK. They can use this term to offer professional advice and services even if they have no professional qualification, experience or have been struck off a professional register.
To protect the public, the title should be restricted to those who are registered with professional regulators such as Registered Nurses and Dental Nurses. This would be the same as titles such as paramedic, physiotherapist and hearing aid dispenser which are limited to those on the professional registers.
Anyone can sign the petition as long as they are a British citizen or UK resident.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/587939

You may like to read a short article by Professor Leary published in September 2021 explaining the present situation and risks.
https://richmondgroupofcharities.org.uk/news

Also the Royal College of Nursing press release June 2021 re the growing practice of employing those without registered nurse qualifications into registered nursing roles.
https://www.rcn.org.uk/news-and-events/press-releases/nursing-workforce-crisis-leads-to-risky-recruitment-practice

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Cuck00soup · 24/10/2021 09:41

Hope you don’t mind, Arbella2 I’ve started a thread over on feminism chat to discuss the feminist aspects of this, as it is predominantly women who are affected.

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Arbella2 · 24/10/2021 10:53

Thank you very much Cuck00soup

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Arbella2 · 24/10/2021 11:01

Thank you for highlighting this sashh. A good example.

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Reptar · 24/10/2021 12:06

If someone told me they were ''a Nurse'' I'd expect them to be registered. I thought it a protected term, despite the fact that 'nursing' is used by women who are breast feeding, or by someone caring for a person or animal that is ill.

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Arbella2 · 24/10/2021 18:31

I would say that the descriptions of nursing (breastfeeding) a baby or nursing (caring for) a sick individual are completely different as they are based on historic common use language.

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Arbella2 · 25/10/2021 06:48

Petition now has 30,122 signatures.

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Arbella2 · 25/10/2021 06:52

[quote Arbella2]Link to petition
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/587939[/quote]
It takes less than five minutes to sign. Patient safety at risk.

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MoltenLasagne · 25/10/2021 18:49

Signed

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Arbella2 · 25/10/2021 22:38

@MoltenLasagne

Signed

Thank you.

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Arbella2 · 26/10/2021 08:50

Now 30,153 signatures. Please let everyone know about the petition.

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Arbella2 · 26/10/2021 22:46

Now 30,169 signatures.
Patient safety at risk. This concerns all of us.

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Arbella2 · 27/10/2021 00:23

[quote Arbella2]Link to petition
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/587939[/quote]
Petition link

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Arbella2 · 27/10/2021 10:07

From Nursing Times 04/06/21
Prominent Covid-denier and anti vaccination campaigner struck off NMC register. A Fitness to Practise Panel determined that she was no longer a safe or effective nurse. Her behaviour had fallen seriously short of the standards expected of a registered nurse and amounted to misconduct. The NMC panel heard that she had spoken at protests and actively discouraged people from wearing masks, adhering to social distancing and taking vaccinations. She had also made derogatory comments about other nursing and health care professionals. She had described nurses as being "complicit in genocide" and "criminals and liars" The panel determined that she had placed members of the public "at serious risk of harm"
She told the Nursing Times that she did not plan to appeal and would continue to call herself a nurse,regardless. She noted that it was 'registered nurse' that was a protected title and not simply 'nurse'. She said " I don't need to be a nurse to practise aesthetics and I don't need to be a nurse to use my diploma in personal nutrition. But I am a nurse and I will state I am a nurse"

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Arbella2 · 27/10/2021 21:57

[quote Arbella2]Link to petition
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/587939[/quote]
Link to petition

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Arbella2 · 28/10/2021 06:48

Now 30,184 signatures.

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Arbella2 · 29/10/2021 03:04

Now 30,193 signatures.
It takes less than five minutes to sign.

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ScreamingMeMeSawUs · 29/10/2021 08:50

Signed.

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Arbella2 · 29/10/2021 18:54

@ScreamingMeMeSawUs

Signed.

Thank you

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MrsColon · 29/10/2021 19:35

Signed, it took less than 30 seconds!

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Arbella2 · 30/10/2021 02:37

@MrsColon

Signed, it took less than 30 seconds!

Thank you

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Arbella2 · 30/10/2021 07:16

[quote Arbella2]Link to petition
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/587939[/quote]

Now 30,203 signatures. Please let family and friends know about the petition.

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Arbella2 · 30/10/2021 10:37

Following the 2017 publication of Professor Leary's research into the variety of job titles in nursing in the UK, the then Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for England Professor Jane Cummings and her then deputy CNO Ruth May, now CNO for England, wrote to regional chief nurses throughout England.
The letter mentioned that the research had "identified a large number of staff working within NHS services who (my bold) are/were using titles such as 'advanced nurse' or 'specialist nurse' despite not having to be a registered nurse (on the NMC register) and lacking any education that might be pertinent for such a role " Such education would be relevant post nurse registration qualification.
"Our preferred position is that only a__ RN should have the word 'nurse' in their title or in their job description"
"Our preferred position" This is as far as they could go because the title 'nurse' is not protected in UK law. Only 'registered nurse' is protected. So the title nurse can be used freely.
A link to this letter is in the Nursing Times 12/09/2017 article
https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/professional-regulation/trusts-should-check-unqualified-staff-are-not-working-as-nurses-19-09-2017 /
The link to the CNO letter is at the end of the article.
There is no change in the situation, as demonstrated by the RCN (Royal College of Nursing) press release in June 2021 expressing serious concern about risky recruitment practice.
https://www.rcn.org.uk/news-and-events/press-releases/nursing-workforce-crisis-leads-to-risky-recruitment-practice
An act of parliament is required to protect the nurse title, hence Professor Leary's petition.

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Arbella2 · 31/10/2021 06:56

[quote Arbella2]Link to petition
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/587939[/quote]
Now 30,480 signatures.
Patient safety at risk.

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Arbella2 · 31/10/2021 18:38

Now 30,667 signatures. Please consider adding your signature.

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Arbella2 · 01/11/2021 04:30

September was the centenary of Nurse registration in the UK.
Ethel Gordon Fenwick campaigned for over 30 years to achieve this goal.
Signing this petition took one Mumsnetter less than 30 seconds !

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