Midwives who are aware of bad practice should be obliged to report concerns to their regulator, a report published today by the Health Select Committee has concluded.
The call is one of a number of recommendations on how the leadership function of the NMCl could be improved in relation to fitness to practise and proactive regulation. It forms part of the first scrutiny report on accountability hearings held with the NMC and General Medical Council. Further reports will be published annually.
It says the NMC needs to send a clear signal to nurses and midwives that they are at as much risk of being investigated by their regulator for failing to report concerns about a fellow registrant as they are from poor practice on their own part.
This recommendation comes on the back of concerns over low standards of basic care of vulnerable people that appear to be in breach of conduct, highlighted by the recent ongoing inquiries into Mid Staffordshire NHS foundation trust and the Winterbourne View scandal.
Chair of the committee Stephen Dorrell MP said health professionals have ‘an obligation to report to their professional body any concerns they have about the quality of care being delivered by their colleagues as a result of what they know, or should have known’.
The report does not specify how the regulator should enforce the whistleblower element, but mentions government proposals for new legislation to enable the health regulators to decide how they can take a more proactive approach to enforcing fitness to practise.
The NMC said in a statement that it will develop an action plan over the next few weeks to address the areas of concern highlighted by the committee.
RCM deputy general secretary Louise Silverton pointed out that midwives do have supervision and do not generally work with the vulnerable groups that have prompted the committee’s concerns, but agreed that ‘it is the responsibility of each midwife to raise concerns’.
However, she said trusts need more robust systems to support individuals who raise the alarm. ‘This is hit and miss’, she said. ‘We advise midwives who have concerns to use the RCM ‘
Unsafe incident form’, with copies given to the head of midwifery and RCM full-time officer, that way there is a degree of protection.’
