News
If you have a news story call the news desk on +44 (0)20 8872 3144 or email [email protected]
NMC failing to hit key performance targets but is improving, says report By Katie Osborne A review of the nurse regulator has revealed it is failing to meet key performance standards, despite an overall improvement in the past year. An annual review of the Nursing and Midwifery Council by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) found the organisation failed to meet seven of the 24 standards set by the authority in 2013/14. The review, which was published last week, praised the regulator for making improvements across its four main regulation functions of registration, education and training, guidance and standards, and fitness to practise (FtP). Yet it also found FtP cases are taking too long, customer service is poor, and there have been serious breaches of data protection in the past 12 months. In its FtP function, the NMC met just four of the ten standards set by the PSA, with one of the biggest concerns being 48 breaches of
data protection (down from 68 in 2012/13). These included information about individual cases being sent to the wrong person, loss of a laptop computer, and publishing incorrect information on the NMC website about the details of allegations. A PSA spokesperson said continued poor performance in this area could
‘THE PSA REPORT SHOWS THAT WE ARE AN EFFECTIVE REGULATOR’ dent public confidence in the NMC. It could also lead to people being unwilling to become involved in its regulatory activities, such as giving evidence in fitness to practise cases. However, the report did note the NMC had cleared 99 per cent of its case backlog, with the regulator conducting 22 hearings every day. NMC chief executive Jackie Smith welcomed the report, saying she
acknowledged where improvements were required but she was pleased overall performance had improved. She told Nursing Standard: ‘This report shows we are an effective regulator, that we have improvements to make and we are committed to making them. Significantly, we have shown improvement in our FtP function by investigating 87 per cent of cases within 12 months and clearing our historic caseload.’ The review comes two years after the PSA’s predecessor body the Council for Healthcare Regulator Excellence (CHRE) published a damning report on the NMC. The 2012 report found long-standing problems at ‘every level’. RCN head of policy Howard Catton said: ‘Improvements have been made and there are still areas for concern, but it is obvious a lot of hard work has gone into improving the NMC.’ Go to tinyurl.com/l335nl6 See analysis page 14
RCN members were among thousands of people at the annual Pride in London parade last weekend, which celebrates London’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans (LGBT) communities. College representatives marched through the West End alongside their opposite numbers from other health organisations including the General Medical Council, the Royal College of Midwives and Macmillan Cancer Support. Among RCN members attending the event was 2013 Nursing Standard nurse of the year Matthew Hodson (pictured). He said: ‘It is great to see nursing colleagues standing together and playing such a prominent role as part of the LGBT community.’
BARNEY NEWMAN
College celebrates diversity at this year’s Pride in London parade
NURSING STANDARD july 2 :: vol 28 no 44 :: 2014 7 Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Dec 06, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
If you have a news story call the news desk on +44 (0)20 8872 3144 or email [email protected]
NMC failing to hit key performance targets but is improving, says report By Katie Osborne A review of the nurse regulator has revealed it is failing to meet key performance standards, despite an overall improvement in the past year. An annual review of the Nursing and Midwifery Council by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) found the organisation failed to meet seven of the 24 standards set by the authority in 2013/14. The review, which was published last week, praised the regulator for making improvements across its four main regulation functions of registration, education and training, guidance and standards, and fitness to practise (FtP). Yet it also found FtP cases are taking too long, customer service is poor, and there have been serious breaches of data protection in the past 12 months. In its FtP function, the NMC met just four of the ten standards set by the PSA, with one of the biggest concerns being 48 breaches of
data protection (down from 68 in 2012/13). These included information about individual cases being sent to the wrong person, loss of a laptop computer, and publishing incorrect information on the NMC website about the details of allegations. A PSA spokesperson said continued poor performance in this area could
‘THE PSA REPORT SHOWS THAT WE ARE AN EFFECTIVE REGULATOR’ dent public confidence in the NMC. It could also lead to people being unwilling to become involved in its regulatory activities, such as giving evidence in fitness to practise cases. However, the report did note the NMC had cleared 99 per cent of its case backlog, with the regulator conducting 22 hearings every day. NMC chief executive Jackie Smith welcomed the report, saying she
acknowledged where improvements were required but she was pleased overall performance had improved. She told Nursing Standard: ‘This report shows we are an effective regulator, that we have improvements to make and we are committed to making them. Significantly, we have shown improvement in our FtP function by investigating 87 per cent of cases within 12 months and clearing our historic caseload.’ The review comes two years after the PSA’s predecessor body the Council for Healthcare Regulator Excellence (CHRE) published a damning report on the NMC. The 2012 report found long-standing problems at ‘every level’. RCN head of policy Howard Catton said: ‘Improvements have been made and there are still areas for concern, but it is obvious a lot of hard work has gone into improving the NMC.’ Go to tinyurl.com/l335nl6 See analysis page 14
RCN members were among thousands of people at the annual Pride in London parade last weekend, which celebrates London’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans (LGBT) communities. College representatives marched through the West End alongside their opposite numbers from other health organisations including the General Medical Council, the Royal College of Midwives and Macmillan Cancer Support. Among RCN members attending the event was 2013 Nursing Standard nurse of the year Matthew Hodson (pictured). He said: ‘It is great to see nursing colleagues standing together and playing such a prominent role as part of the LGBT community.’
BARNEY NEWMAN
College celebrates diversity at this year’s Pride in London parade
NURSING STANDARD july 2 :: vol 28 no 44 :: 2014 7 Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Dec 06, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
