The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has joined representatives of patients’ groups, nursing and midwifery professional bodies and unions – including UNISON – to call on politicians to commit to bringing forward a bill reforming health care professional regulation.
The Law Commission, the Scottish Law Commission and the Northern Ireland Law Commission issued a joint report on the regulation of health and social care professionals last April.
The government has responded today, with parliamentary under secretary for health Dr Daniel Poulter saying: “We overwhelmingly support the commissions’ ambition for improvements and, where appropriate, greater consistency across the regulation of health professionals.”
He stated that the government would now “consider” the reccomendations further.
Welcoming this response to the commissions’ proposals, NMC chief executive and registrar Jackie Smith said: “We are continually constrained by a legal framework which ties us to inefficient practices.
“In order to become a modern, effective and efficient regulator, we need a legislative framework which is less prescriptive to allow us to be flexible and responsive in a constantly changing regulatory and healthcare environment.
“We will need time to consider the government’s response in detail. There has clearly been some welcome reflection on some of the Law Commissions’ recommendations, but we recognise the need for further debate in others.
“There is widespread consensus that this change in our legislation is necessary. Together, we are calling on all the main political parties to commit to take forward as soon as possible in the next parliament an overarching healthcare regulation bill.”
Joint statement in support of the law commissions’ Bill
Law Commission, Scottish Law Commission and Northern Ireland Law Commission report [PDF]
