Jessica O'ConnorAnyone misleading the public and describing themselves as a nurse without the relevant qualifications and registration will be committing a crime, under new measures announced by the Government to protect the title ‘nurse’ in law.
The move aims to help to boost protections and safety for both patients and staff, driving up standards and improving patient experience across the NHS through the Government’s Plan for Change.
Currently, anyone – including those struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for serious misconduct or criminal convictions – can call themselves a nurse.
Previous reported examples of the job title being misused include someone calling herself a nurse at a large public event after being struck off and another reportedly masquerading as an aesthetic nurse.
There will be exemptions for relevant professions like veterinary nurse, dental nurse and nursery nurse, where the title ‘nurse’ is legitimately used.
This announcement follows campaigning by unions for the Government to act on the issue, as well as by Dawn Butler MP who introduced a Ten-Minute Rule Bill earlier this year to protect the title ‘nurse’.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Nurses carry out lifesaving work every day, and I am determined we do everything we can to support them and safeguard trust in the profession.
“I’ve been appalled to read reports of so-called nurses spreading dangerous misinformation and harming the public.
“This new legislation will help crack down on bogus beauticians and conspiracy theorists masquerading as nurses, and those attempting to mislead patients.
“The British people hold nurses in the highest regard, and we trust them in our most vulnerable moments, so patients need to know they are genuinely being seen by a nurse. Now they will.
“This is part of our Plan for Change to fix the NHS and gets the right staff working in the right place at the right time.”
Only the title “registered nurse” is currently protected in law.
The new legislation aims to change that – ensuring that only those individuals registered with the NMC can legally use the title.
Anyone violating this will be committing a criminal offence and could face a hefty fine running into the thousands of pounds.
Duncan Burton, chief nursing officer for England, said: “The trust that people place in registered nurses is based on the rigorous training and education required to be registered as a nurse which gives us the skills and knowledge to deliver high quality, safe and personalised care.
“Nurses value this trust and protecting the title of nurse can give added confidence and clarity to patients and the public on who is delivering their care and the skills and knowledge they have.
Reaction:
Professor Nicola Ranger, RCN general secretary and chief executive, said:
“This is an important moment for our safety-critical profession, after years of campaigning.
“A change in the law will recognise the knowledge, professionalism and clinical expertise that comes with being a registered nurse. It will provide better legal protections for nursing professionals and reassurance to patients.
“Crucially, this is an opportunity to begin the journey to properly valuing nursing as a profession, where respect, reward and investment match the crucial nature of our work.”
Dr Crystal Oldman CBE, chief executive at The Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing:
“Nurses and the millions of people they care for will benefit by this proposed change in legislation.
“This is a patient safety issue that the QICN has been campaigning on for some time.
“People need confidence that when the person caring for them is described as a nurse, that person really is a qualified and registered nurse.
Paul Rees MBE, interim chief executive and registrar at the Nursing and Midwifery Council:
“The public should always feel confident that anyone using the title ‘nurse’ is a registered professional with all the safeguards that brings.
“We look forward to working with the government and our stakeholders to deliver on it. In the meantime, it is already an offence for somebody to hold themselves out as a registered nurse when they are not.”
Helga Pile, UNISON head of health:
“Nurses and other NHS workers rightly enjoy a high level of trust because of the brilliant and important work they do.
“Charlatans and conspiracy theorists mustn’t be allowed to harm patients or damage nurses’ reputation and good standing with the public.
“It’s only right that anyone that tries to will now feel the full force of the law.”
Rachel Power, chief executive of The Patients Association:
“We welcome this commitment to ensuring patients know who is treating them and offering healthcare advice, and that those professionals are properly qualified.
“With health misinformation increasingly common, it’s more important than ever that patients can trust the expertise of those caring for them.”
Alison Morton, CEO, Institute of Health Visiting, said:
“The Institute of Health Visiting fully supports the campaign to protect the title “nurse” in legislation. This is urgently needed to protect the public and provide assurance that the person providing their care has the qualifications, knowledge, skills, expertise and professionalism to deliver safe and effective care.
“Nursing is a safety-critical workforce. And, in our view, there is only one clear path forward, the current gap in legislation needs to be closed as a matter of urgency.”
Professor Greta Westwood CBE PhD RN, CEO of the Florence Nightingale Foundation:
“We welcome this recognition of the importance of the nursing role. Nurses are skilled and highly trained professionals, playing a key leadership role in the health and social care sectors, particularly around speaking out on patient safety and workforce challenges.
“This International Nurses Day, we are coming together to celebrate the incredible work that nurses do across the UK and globally, and we support the government taking this next step, working with the UK regulator, to protect our nurses and those we serve.”
