𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.

The NMC has admitted that for 12 years, criminal convictions and health concerns declared by nurses and midwives were not properly reviewed at registration or renewal.

The information was provided. It simply was not acted on.

421 professionals contacted. Up to 15 may be removed from a register of 867,935.

𝟬.𝟬𝟬𝟭𝟳% 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿. 𝗧𝘄𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀.

That is not a nursing problem. That is a governance problem.

The RCN has called it a catalogue of failings and asked whether the NMC is fit for purpose. Those words deserve to be taken seriously.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆?

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳 — colleagues whose registration you assumed had been verified may not have had the checks the regulator required. Not their failure. The system's.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 — pre-employment checks, DBS verification, and registration monitoring are a necessary layer alongside the NMC. If your organisation treats them as box-ticking, this is the cost.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗥 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 — the question is not just "did the NMC fail?" It is "what does our process look like when external regulatory assurance cannot be relied upon?"

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿.

Not guidance notes. Documented, accountable frameworks that specify what good looks like.

I have spent a significant part of my career writing those frameworks. Most recently, a standards of professional practice document for Community Mental Health and Learning Disability nurses — written with frontline staff and people with lived experience, within a formal governance framework built to last beyond the individuals who created it.

𝗔 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗦𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁.

Rigorous co-production. Not a consultation. A process.

Regulatory frameworks set the floor. Formalised professional standards — co-produced, embedded, governed — build above it.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗠𝗖 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

The profession deserves better. So do the people it serves.

Nurses did not cause this failure. But nursing leaders, managers, and HR professionals can drive the change that prevents the next one.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲? 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿. 𝗜𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲.

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