The chair of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has rejected calls for him to step down following its damning culture review – saying he will remain in post to provide ‘continuity’ for the regulator.
Responding to a question from Nursing in Practice in an NMC Council meeting earlier today, Sir David Warren said the regulator was undergoing a ‘process of self-reflection’ but was clear that he would remain in post.
‘I am not going to stand down as chair of the NMC,’ he said.
‘I think firstly it is important that there should be stability and continuity in the leadership in the organisation as we tackle the very difficult issues that have been identified by Nazir Afzal’s report.
‘I think that continuity is best served by me as chair and the council remaining in place to oversee the processes that we are setting in train.’
Sir David Warren said he had been copied into emails from whistleblowers who were raising concerns about the regulator prior to the release of its damning culture review.
‘I can’t obviously discuss individual cases, but I can confirm that I was copied into whistleblowing concerns before the reviews were commissioned,’ he told council.
He also stressed his commitment to ‘accountability’ and to understanding ‘what went wrong’ and ensuring that ‘this never happens again’.
Since the publication of the culture review earlier this month – which exposed serious concerns around racism, bullying and burnout within the NMC – there have been calls on social media for Sir David’s resignation, as well as the council and executive more widely.
Speaking previously on BBC’s Woman’s Hour, Sir David admitted that ‘not all’ of the recent culture review was a ‘complete surprise’ to the regulator – notably concerns raised in the report about the length of time it was taking to complete FtP processes.
He has been chair of the NMC since June 2021, having previously served as chair of the council at the University of Kent and the UK’s ambassador to Japan.
The review, published earlier this month, identified a ‘dangerously toxic culture’ at the regulator, where bullying, racism and burnout were putting nurses and the public at risk.
And it called for an ‘urgent turnaround plan’ to ‘stop a dysfunctional culture’ that existed within the NMC.
