The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has launched a consultation with the public, professionals, and health and social care partners on its future use of powers granted in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The consultation, which runs from 4 November to 15 January, follows powers given to the NMC by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) earlier this year, and focuses on the following key areas:
The NMC’s use of virtual meetings and hearings
Public access to hearings
The number of people on a hearing panel
The NMC’s use of email to communicate notices of a hearing, and
The NMC’s use of extensions for revalidation and fee payment
Emma Broadbent, Director of Professional Regulation at the NMC, said: “At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic we had to rapidly adapt to ensure our core regulatory work could continue. During this initial period, we were unable to undertake a full consultation with our stakeholders and the public.
“But the impacts of COVID-19 will be long-term, and there are also some new ways of working we’ll want to keep in place. So we now want to consult on how our new powers are used in the future, listening to the public, professionals, and the wider health and care sector.
“We remain committed to using these new powers in a proportionate way that supports our registrants and keeps people safe. We encourage everyone who wants to have their say to respond.”
The consultation is available in English, Welsh and there is also an easy read version. Contributors can submit their response using the online survey or email consultations@nmc-uk.org.
