The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has spotlighted the work of its safeguarding team in supporting ‘more than 700’ people involved in the fitness to practise (FtP) process over the last financial year
It said the team had helped support registrants, witnesses and referrers during a FtP case after ‘proactively identifying’ wellbeing concerns
Its comments follow concerns raised about the regulator’s FtP caseload exceeding 7,000 cases – its highest level in recent years
Chris Dzikiti, executive director of professional practice, said that in the last financial year support had been given to several hundreds of people during a FtP process
‘The safety and wellbeing of anyone involved in our regulatory processes is our priority. While we have a duty to look at concerns that are raised with us, we know that being involved in fitness to practise can be stressful,’ he said
‘That’s why we have a dedicated safeguarding team that reviews all referrals made to us, from a wellbeing and safeguarding perspective.’
He added: ‘We proactively identify potential risks and ensure that the right action is taken to protect people who may be vulnerable to harm, and we provided this support to more than 700 people last year
‘That also includes equipping our operational teams with the right guidance to ensure the right safeguards and interventions support people in the most challenging situations.’
The NMC explained that its safeguarding team – after receiving a referral about a wellbeing concern – works to identify safeguarding concerns or serious wellbeing risks to enable ‘appropriate support’
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This includes liaising with emergency services, external professionals and agencies such as mental health services and social care
The safeguarding team also operates an internal emergency advice line which provides guidance in navigating ‘challenging situations’
This week, Nursing in Practice reported on concerns around the regulator’s caseload exceeding 7,000
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) described the situation as ‘deeply concerning’, while Cathryn Watters, founder of NMCWatch, which supports nurses subject to FtP proceedings, suggested staff changes at the NMC were affecting the handling of cases
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In a report in May this year, the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) issued fresh warnings about several ‘weaknesses’ within the regulatory functions of the NMC – including concerns around its FtP processes and timeliness during 2025
Meanwhile, the NMC has recently approved new changes to the FtP process with the aim of improving efficiency and ‘reduce anxiety for registrants’.These include supporting vulnerable witnesses and increased flexibility of notice of meetings
