This article contains mention of suicide, for immediate support please call Samaritans on 116 123.
A petition has been launched calling on the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to put mental health support at the ‘forefront’ of its fitness to practise (FtP) operations.
It follows ongoing concerns raised over the number of nurses who have died by suicide while under or having concluded an FtP investigation.
The nursing regulator has responded by apologising to those ‘whose wellbeing has suffered as a result of going through our fitness to practise processes’ and accepted that it had ‘not always taken the appropriate actions at the right point’.
Campaign group NMC Watch launched a petition on 9 October urging the regulator to prioritise mental health support for registrants. It currently has over 400 signatures, with a goal of reaching at least 500 this week.
The NMC confirmed in the summer that 16 registrants had died by suicide in the past six years while going through the FtP process.
Though NMC Watch believes this figure is higher and stands at 27 registrants, with six of these cases being within the last year alone.
‘We are calling on the NMC to put mental health support mechanisms at the forefront of their operations,’ the petition stated.
It added: ‘The mental health crisis amongst NMC registrants is real, documented, and heartbreaking.
‘Making mental health support accessible and prioritised within the NMC’s system should not be an afterthought – it should be a fundamental, top priority.
‘By not prioritising this issue, the NMC betrays its duty of care towards its registrants – the hardworking, compassionate individuals that form its very foundation.’
In response, executive director of professional regulation at the NMC, Lesley Maslen, said: ‘We’re sorry to anyone whose wellbeing has suffered as a result of going through our fitness to practise processes.
‘Our regulatory work brings us into contact with people in difficult or vulnerable circumstances, and we have not always taken the appropriate actions at the right point.
‘To better protect people, we are now prioritising safeguarding in our regulatory work.’
She said the regulator had ‘invested significantly in our central safeguarding team by recruiting experts in safeguarding, mental health and training’ and that it had launched a ‘safeguarding hub to identify any support someone may need at the earliest point in our process’.
‘We welcome the ongoing test and challenge from people who have lived experiences of our regulatory work,’ she added.
‘It’s important that we’re held to account as we work towards our goal of improving the safety and quality of people’s experiences within our processes. We will work with professionals, our partners and the public to help us shape this critical work.’
Since October 2019, the NMC has provided an independent Careline run by specially trained counsellors who provide confidential emotional and practical support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to professionals involved in fitness to practise.
Nursing in Practice understands that the NMC has this week begun contacting NMC Watch, following the ongoing concerns raised.
