Regulation and public protection by @JackieSmith_nmc

Regulation and public protection

The regulation of nurses and midwives has never had a greater profile. Countless high profile inquiries and investigations have changed the landscape forever.  The public faith that all healthcare professionals once enjoyed can no longer be guaranteed, and we all now have to work together to restore it.

The world we now live in and regulate professionals by, will always pose the question, ‘who is going to be held to account’. When public expectation has never been greater and more questioning, what can professionals and the professional regulators, like the NMC, bring to the debate?

I lived through the Shipman Inquiry at the GMC and one lesson it taught me about regulation and public protection is that it is not owned by one set of individuals or one organisation. We all own it and we all have to play our part. What do I mean by this?

Self Regulation

Nurses, doctors and midwives cherish the concept of ‘self-regulation’. The reality is that self-regulation died years ago, in the aftermath of Shipman.

No longer can a profession decide its own destiny: the views of who they put first in their everyday practice – patients and service users – matter as much, if not more, these days.

The public view and expectation are what shape professional behaviour and practice. A classic example is the craving for nurses and midwives to  ‘show compassion’. So, where does this leave regulation now and in the future? It leaves us all waking up to reality. Being on a register no longer has the impact on the public it used to have. And we all need to ask ourselves some challenging questions.

Living the Standards

My challenge to those on our register is this: the question you now need to ask yourself is not ‘what do I get for my registration fee?’; but, ‘how can I demonstrate that the public can take confidence from me being a registered professional who lives the standards I signed up to’

The public is no longer satisfied that a professional on a register is sufficient. The public now owns a bit of regulation and it will continue to have its say as to how it should be shaped.

A shared endeavour

We – the regulator, the professional, the employer and the public – all have to continue working together to convince patients, the public and others that regulation genuinely adds value; a value which you can’t put a price on but you can have faith in. In my view, the greatest opportunity nurses and midwives have to restore the public’s dented faith in regulation is through revalidation.

Over time, it will bridge the gap between being a professional on a register and demonstrating what it actually means to be a professional on a register.

And what it means is: ‘I am a professional who upholds the highest professional standards in the interests of my patients; I am passionate about my profession and I am proud’.

Regulation cannot achieve this without shared partnership with the professions, the public and employers. This is shared regulation and it is the best way to protect the public.

Shared regulation means living those standards that nurses and midwives passionately believe in, for the good of the professions and the public.

This week’s blog was by @JackieSmith_nmc (Jackie Smith), Chief Executive and Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council.