Royal College of Nursing comment on CHRE review of the NMC

Published: 03 July 2012

Commenting on today’s review of the NMC by the CHRE, Royal College of Nursing Chief Executive & General Secretary, Dr Peter Carter, said:

“The RCN welcomes this report which clearly goes to the heart of some fundamental weaknesses within the NMC. It is extremely concerning to read that the NMC has failings right across the board and we know that many of our members have been losing confidence in the regulator for some time.

“Equally, there is great concern among nurses that they are currently being faced with a near 60 percent hike in NMC fees at a time when many nurses are struggling financially. This is a huge increase and could not have come at a worse time, with nurses in the midst of a two year pay freeze and facing worrying increases to their pension contributions. It seems very unfair to expect registered nurses to solely pick up the costs of the regulator’s financial failings.
 
“We have always stated that the public, patients and the nursing profession need to have an effective, fit for purpose regulator which can effectively uphold professional standards. The NMC must be able to deliver its core functions of safeguarding the health and wellbeing of the public, and promoting high standards of professional conduct across the UK. It is vital that the NMC now appoints credible, respected leaders who can tackle the problems so clearly highlighted by the CHRE.

“We are committed to working closely with the NMC to help address some of these issues, and in particular, in supporting nurses to deliver high quality, evidence-based, nursing practice.”

Ends

Notes for Editors

For further information, interviews or illustrations please contact  the RCN Media Office on 0207 647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/media
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 nurses 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.