Bev said: “Nurses here on the Island are already regulated by the NMC and supported within the Department with continuous professional development to ensure that practise is current and effective. I broadly welcome and I am encouraged by these plans from the NMC and believe they will strengthen the confidence patients and the public can have in nurses and midwives. Anything that supports our continuing drive for excellence and ensures quality of care for patients can only be a good thing. It is increasingly accepted that professional revalidation for doctors, nurses and midwives is necessary to ensure that patients receive the highest standard of care through proactively monitoring a clinician’s commitment to professional development and assessing their fitness to practise. The NMC’s proposals are in an early stage and have yet to be approved, with three options up for discussion; but formal revalidation involving feedback from patients, colleagues and the employer could be in place by the end of 2015. This would see the UK’s 670,000 nurses and midwives – including those here in the Isle of Man – subject to a more robust and rigorous form of review. Obviously we’ll need to see the full details and the outcome of discussions at the NMC, but I’m sure the plans – if taken forward – will mark a very positive development for patient care and for the Island’s Health Service.”
If the NMC proceeds with the introduction of revalidation, there is likely to be period of a consultation early in 2014. The move by the NMC follows a similar scheme by the General Medical Council which introduced a five-yearly revalidation process for doctors in December 2012.
Member for Health Services, Dudley Butt MLC, said: “As the health services both here in the Isle of Man and in the UK look to learn lessons from the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry and the recommendations of the Francis Report, it is encouraging to see that professional bodies and regulators are playing their part in looking at how the governance of professionals can adapt to the challenge of not only ensuring high quality and consistent care, but also that of restoring public confidence in the NHS. The Department of Health broadly welcomes the move by the NMC and will be watching developments closely.”
