UNISON helps members who are registered professionals in individual fitness to practise proceedings and liaises with regulators, such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health and Care Professions Council, and with the Professional Standards Authority to get a fairer process for registrants.
How we help
You are a registered professional if you have to remain registered with a regulator in order to hold your professional title (eg nurse, midwife, paramedic, operating department practioner, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, social worker, teacher).
If a complaint is made against you and you are referred to your regulator (eg NMC or HCPC) by your employer, the police, a service user or anyone else, you will need experienced representation by a national officer.
If you are subject to fitness to practise proceedings, UNISON will provide representation and advice at all stages of the regulator’s investigatory process including at interim, substantive and review hearings.
For assistance, complete a CASE form and return it to your UNISON branch without delay. The normal membership rules and conditions of representation apply.
Who can we help?
UNISON can represent you in fitness to practise proceedings if you are a member who is a registered professional. The main health and social care professional regulatory bodies we deal with are:
Care Council for Wales (CCW)
Education Workforce Council Wales/Cymru (EWC)
General Pharmaceutical Council (GPC)
General Osteopathic Council (GOsC)
General Optical Council (GOC)
General Medical Council (GMC)
General Dental Council (GDC)
General Chiropractic Council (GCC)
Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC)
Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI)
Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)
Social Work England
Support professional regulation through the NMC
The Nursing and Midwifery Council is the professional regulator for nurses and midwives in the UK. Their fitness to practise committee panels include nurses and midwives as well as lay members. The NMC would like to recruit 50 members of the profession to the panels.
UNISON encourages registrant members to apply for this position, particularly activists. You are paid for hearing dates and preparation work. Half-day sitting, training and reading days are paid on a pro-rata basis. Panel members will be expected to undertake some pre-reading and some e-learning in their own time.
For more information about the role and details of how to apply, visit the Harvey Nash website.