Analysis
Nurses struck off: why the seeming surge in numbers?
The number of nurses struck off the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register has more than doubled in three years. Other regulatory sanctions resulting from fitness to practise (FtP) investigations – suspension from the register, conditions of practice and cautions – have risen too. The figures cannot be explained away by the increase in nurse numbers on the register in the same period, as a number of variables including the NMC’s fluctuating caseload and an increase in employer referrals, are at play. This article offers an overview of the complex factors that contribute to the sharp rise in nurses being stripped of their professional registration.
Image
