Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
The number of nurses and midwives struck off the register due to misconduct has almost doubled in recent years, most often for breaching patient care conditions.
Should we be worried about the profession – or the regulator?
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In 2023/24, a total of 210 nurses and four midwives were struck off the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register across the UK following fitness to practice tribunals.
A deregistration order is the most serious sanction the regulator can levy for professional misconduct.
It bans nurses and midwives from working in the UK for at least five years, in the NHS and the private sector.
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According to figures revealed last week following a freedom of information request by Medical Negligence Assist – a ‘no-win no-fee’ claims company – the number of nurses and midwives struck off the register last year is up 96%, from 109 in 2021/22.
Of the 979 different claims upheld last year in delisting cases, the most common – around 18% – related to failures in patient care.
Among nurses, these included failing to respond appropriately or quickly enough to deteriorating patients, as well as wrongdoing in the diagnosis or observation of a patient and safeguarding issues, such as meeting hygiene requirements, nutrition , infection control or hydration. .
There were also cases of nurses being dismissed for sleeping on duty, bullying, colluding to hide information, and stealing drugs from the workplace.
In midwifery, one midwife was removed from the register due to a “lack of basic midwifery skills”.
The other cases were failures in monitoring, assessment, or to “respond appropriately” when a woman or baby was deteriorating.
Allegations relating to patient care were most common in cases where nurses and midwives were struck off the register in 2023/24 (Image: MedicalNegligenceAssist)
‘small minority’
There are approximately 808,000 nurses and midwives registered with the NMC in the UK.
Lesley Maslen, its executive director of professional regulation, has previously stressed that the number of potential misconduct cases they investigate each year represent a “tiny minority” of the nursing and midwifery profession and only the “larger serious” will be removed to protect the public.
However, concerns have been raised that high vacancy rates and a shortage of beds within the NHS are creating fertile ground for more things to go wrong when it comes to patient care – and for nurses to be blamed .
In 2023, a survey by the Royal College of Nursing found that 60% of its members working in emergency departments feared being struck off the register as a result of treating patients in “inappropriate” conditions.
‘Culture of fear’
Over the past year, the NMC itself has come under scrutiny.
In July, an independent review criticized the regulator as “roots of bullying, racism and toxic behaviour”.
Nazir Afzal, the former chief crown prosecutor who led the review, said the findings were a “last chance saloon” for the NMC to get its house in order.
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The NMC has promised to clear its backlog of fitness to practice cases by 2025 amid criticism that the delay has led to some good nurses being investigated for years over minor issues while bad nurses escape sanctions.
The review found that six nurses had died by suicide in the past year while under investigation by the NMC.
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The review was triggered after an internal report revealed that dozens of NMC staff complained that they were given “unachievable” targets but were too scared to own up to mistakes due to a “culture of fear” within the organisation.
Meanwhile, NHS whistleblowers claimed nurses and midwives accused of serious sexual, physical and racial abuse were being returned to wards unchecked because “deeply toxic behavior” within the NMC was leading to botched and biased investigations .
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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