Nursing and Midwifery Council to be a fully appointed Council

The Lords this week agreed to the Nursing and Midwifery (Amendment) Order 2008 which makes amendments to the framework legislation for the regulation of nurses and midwives including to the Governance of the NMC. Detailing the statutory instrument, Government Whip Baroness Thornton noted that the reforms are aimed at enhancing confidence in the ability of regulatory bodies like the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

The NMC will now become a fully appointed council, rather than partially elected and elections for this year have been cancelled. In addition, the NMC’s annual report would include a description of its arrangements for ensuring equality and the NMC would be given greater prescribing rights in an emergency and the ability to strike of registrants barred from working with children of vulnerable adults. The Royal College of Nursing is supportive of the need to change.

Responding, Conservative Shadow Home Affairs Minister Baroness Hanham expressed concern that the NMC was being reorganised and questioned the expertise of the Appointments Commission in appointing members of the NMC. She also questioned who else would be involved in making decisions of prescribing in the case of emergencies. There was also some concern over the decision to make the council fully appointed and the need to have representation from general nurses, midwives and community nurses on the Council