Lawyers React To New Report From Government Health Committee

By Rob Dixon

Medical law experts have urged the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to work quickly to ensure that improvements are made which will ensure patient safety within the NHS is improved, after a new report raised concerns about current standards.

The Health Committee’s new report into the regulator has raised concerns over a backlog of cases which is continuing to impact on the effectiveness of the organisation and has called on the body to work harder to address such issues.

Stephen Dorrell MP, chair of the committee, added that there remains a “serious gap between current performance and acceptable standards”.

He added that steps should be urgently taken to address key issues which have impacted on the NMC for some time, including concerns over its IT infrastructure.

Lisa Jordan, a Partner and medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s Birmingham office, welcomed the findings of the report and urged the NMC to take urgent steps to address the problems.

She said: “The NHS and care providers have a duty to ensure patient safety is a top priority, but the only way that this can be monitored and enforced is if an effective, quality system of regulation is in place to ensure high standards are being met.

“We welcome this new report and hope that the NMC can take the necessary steps to ensure that the nursing profession is properly regulated and, where necessary, swift and decisive action is being taken to hold people to account over problems.

“Through our work, we have seen far too many failings by medical staff which could have been avoided but instead have left patients and their families facing huge trauma and suffering.

“Problems of this nature cannot be allowed to happen again and it is vital that everything possible is being done to ensure those in need of healthcare are getting the best possible support and treatment.”

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