Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
The Nursing and Midwifery Council is the regulator for nurses and midwives in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Island and the Islands. Their objective is to safeguard the health and wellbeing of those who use or need the services that nurses and midwives offer.
They maintain a register of nurses and midwives in the UK and they set requirements for them to help to provide safe and appropriate care. They have the authority to take firm but fair action in cases where those requirements have not been met. The NMC set the standards for education, training and conduct that nurses and midwives need to be able to deliver high quality health care consistently throughout their careers. A way in which they do this is by setting rules for their practice and supervision. They also ensure that nurses and midwives keep their skills and knowledge up to date and uphold their professional standards.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council educates and informs the public about their role and they also speak to the government and European Commission on public protection issues.
There have been cases of nurses being struck off for incidents such as; poor record keeping, sexual abuse, incompetent practice, mistreating elderly people, not washing hands, putting patients at risk and administrating drugs without assistance and not disposing sharps correctly. However, they have very fair procedures to investigate such allegations made against nurses and midwives.
Care Standards Act 2000
The Care Standards Act (CSA) 2000 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which provides for the administration of a variety of care institutions, including,