RCN Chief Nursing Officer Professor Lynn Woolsey, said: 

“This is the latest in a catalogue of failings at the Nursing and Midwifery Council and again calls into question whether it is fit for purpose as our profession’s regulator. Today’s vague apology will not suffice, and we will lead the UK’s nursing staff in asking very tough questions.

“Nursing continues to be the most trusted profession in the country, but its regulator is once again severely undermining this trust. It is an astounding failure of its primary purpose to safeguard the public, as well as to provide assurance to the nursing workforce that they and their colleagues had all undergone the necessary checks to practise.

“The NMC must ensure all those practising as registered nurses are safe to do so at the point of registration and throughout their careers. It is a potentially dangerous regulatory failing that individuals made appropriate declarations regarding criminal convictions and/or health conditions over such a long period of time without appropriate checks to determine their fitness to practise. 

“The immediate focus for the NMC must be to rapidly gather full information in order to fairly review the cases and determine whether the individual can continue to remain on the register without further action. The RCN will closely monitor the situation. 

“We are further calling for an independent investigation to understand how and why the failings occurred, went undetected for such a long period and to establish how the NMC’s processes should be improved, with clear recommendations and accountability for future action. 

“Hundreds of thousands of nursing staff across the UK pay for the NMC to regulate the profession, but they are losing trust in an organisation which continually lets them down. Rebuilding that trust must be a priority.” 

Ends