NMC invests in specialist team to resolve sensitive fitness to practise cases

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) said it was investing in a specialist Fitness to Practise team to ensure more timely resolution of sensitive cases, including those connected to major public inquiries into health and care failings.

The Sensitive and Complex Casework Team (SCCT) provides specialised legal advice and support on complex cases at the Screening stage. This includes referrals arising from public inquiries, major regulatory or criminal investigations, neonatal or maternal deaths, and matters where coroners have made findings.

The team’s enhanced oversight and expertise ensure the right decisions are made at the earliest stage of Fitness to Practise to progress cases swiftly and safely.

Now under new leadership, the team will be expanded in the coming months with new investigators and legal experts so it can directly investigate Fitness to Practise cases.

The NMC indicated that “this will help reduce caseloads and pressure on other teams at the Screening and Investigations stages, while minimising the need to commission external investigations.

“It will also support faster, consistent decision-making, so that the Fitness to Practise process is more efficient and fairer for registrants.”

Lesley Maslen, Executive Director of Professional Regulation, said:

“It’s important that we continue investing in our people and ensure they have the resources to deliver a faster and more effective Fitness to Practise process for everyone involved.

“The expertise of our specialist team for sensitive and complex cases is invaluable, and we are keen to strengthen this work by enabling them to directly manage and investigate appropriate cases.

“This will improve consistency in decision-making and streamline our processes, easing pressure on other stages of FtP while helping us reach decisions more efficiently and fairly.”

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