RCN responds to Health Select Committee report into the NMC

Published: 06 March 2013

Under embargo: 00:01 Wednesday 6 March 2013

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) today responded to the publication of a report which scrutinised the nursing regulator, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). The report is published by the Health Select Committee of the House of Commons
Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the RCN said:

“Nursing needs a strong, effective regulator which is fit to meet the needs of patients and the profession. This report highlights that the NMC has made some progress in prioritising Fitness to Practice hearings, and reducing its immense backlog. The NMC needs to forge ahead with this and develop revalidation as a priority. The RCN wants to see the NMC’s leadership, under the chairmanship of Mark Addison, ensure that it is effective in the long term. To do this, the NMC needs to have continuity in its leadership, and importantly it must be financially stable. Nurses need to have faith and confidence in their regulator, and this will be damaged if they are again confronted with an unfair increase in registration fees designed to bail out an organisation which has not been able to plan its workload.

“The Committee has identified challenges for the NMC in terms of its systems, which must be addressed as a matter of urgency. However it is also important that the NMC develops and maintains a positive working culture. A staff turnover of 36% is a sign of an organisation which needs to change, and we trust that the new leadership of the NMC will make sure that this happens.”

End

Notes for Editors

1. For further information, please contact the RCN Media Office on 02076473633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/media
2. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nursing staff and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.