Nurses play a critical role in our healthcare system, and this Government recognise the vital role that nurses play in delivering safe, effective and compassionate care. Today we are proposing to protect the title “nurse” in law to ensure that only those registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council can use it, with limited exceptions.
The protection in law of certain professional titles is important for public safety. Protected titles are used by healthcare professionals to indicate their field of practice to patients and the public, providing assurance to the public that the person using that title is competent and safe to practise.
Currently, the title “registered nurse” is protected in law. However, the Government are aware of concerns, most recently raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Brent East (Dawn Butler) and the #ProtectNurse campaign, that this is not sufficient to safeguard the public, as it does not address the misuse of the title “nurse” by unregulated professionals.
This Government intend to amend the criminal offence of “misuse of professional titles” so that the title of “nurse” is protected. This amendment will be made as part of the Government’s professional regulation reform programme, which will modernise the legislative frameworks for the General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and the Health and Care Professions Council during this Parliament.
As part of reforms to the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s legislative framework, we will create a new protection of title offence, making it a criminal offence for an individual who is not a registered nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council to call themselves a nurse.
The Government are aware that the term “nurse” is used across multiple professions, for example, “dental nurse”, “veterinary nurse” and “nursery nurse”. It is not our intention to prevent the legitimate use of the title “nurse” within these instances. The legislation will therefore include exemptions to allow other professionals to use the title legitimately, without the risk of prosecution.
The Government will continue to work with key stakeholders, including the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the devolved Governments, the Royal College of Nursing, trade unions, other professional representatives and the social care sector, on developing the protection of title offence.
This proposal demonstrates the Government’s respect for the nursing profession, dedication to patient safety and the pivotal role nurses have in our society.
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