NMC working to ‘put people first’ during fitness to practise

The nursing regulator has outlined a series of changes aimed at making its fitness to practise (FtP) process ‘more compassionate and supportive’ and to ensure vulnerable registrants are given appropriate support.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) said it wanted to ensure it ‘always put people first’ when concerns are investigated.

The move follows a raft of serious concerns raised around the way the regulator handles FtP – sparked largely by a damning review which suggested, in some cases, action was being taken ‘against good nurses’ while ‘bad nurses get away with it’.

The independent review, published in July 2024, also uncovered that six nurses had taken their lives over a year period while under investigation by the NMC and that at least one parent blamed the regulator for their daughter’s death.

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Following the review, the NMC has been working to improve its FtP processes, including by appointing special advisors, working on its timeliness in addressing cases, and through a new ‘case weighting tool’ for referrals.

Today, the NMC said it was exploring ways to support people to engage in the FtP process and that it had invested in establishing a ‘Professional Support and Engagement Team (PSET)’ comprising colleagues with health and social care and other relevant experience.

The group’s initial focus is on the most vulnerable registrants and ‘how the NMC can provide tailored, values-based support which meets their individual needs and supports them to engage in the process fully’.

A pilot programme has also been launched by the NMC for cases relating to registrants’ physical and mental health.

By bringing together clinical and safeguarding advisors, the programme has worked to help the NMC run ‘proportionate investigations and support individuals according to their needs’, it said.

The NMC suggested that early data from a review of 83 cases under the pilot showed the regulator has been able to progress these types of cases ‘more quickly’.

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Over the coming months the NMC said it will deliver further targeted reforms to transform the FtP experience, including:

• Clearer, more compassionate first contact with people when concerns are raised about their practice.
• Resources and support for registrants who are unrepresented in the FtP process.

Executive director of professional regulation at the NMC Lesley Maslen said: ‘We are committed to making fitness to practise more compassionate and supportive.

‘That is why we are making further changes to ensure we always put people first when we investigate and communicate about concerns that have been raised with us.’

She added: ‘These changes are the first of several practical, evidence-driven improvements we are exploring, and it is reassuring to see they are being well received by people in the process.’

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Alongside this work, Ms Maslen said the NMC remained focus on maintaining ‘momentum’ in the timeliness of its decision making.

Last month, the NMC revealed that its caseload for FtP referrals at screening – the initial stage of the process – had fallen to its lowest level in five years.