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The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the regulatory body for nurses and midwives in the UK, has recently published a paper outlining their updated publication policy, entitled Fitness to Practise (FTP) Publication Guidance.
The new guidelines require that details of allegations against a registrant are kept private until they have been read out at Inquiry, with only the type of fitness to practise issue that the allegation relates to being published in advance of the hearing. In a departure from the previous practice of the NMC, the new guidelines highlight the potential for prejudice to a registrant, in circumstances where allegations are published and subsequently withdrawn/not proven.
The effect of this policy change by the NMC will be closely monitored by regulators both this jurisdiction and the UK.
Authors: Lyn McCarthy and Thomas Dowling