GP Practices and Nurses

It remains essential that GP practices and other healthcare employers make sure nurses are properly registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council before they practise as a nurse in the UK.

As a general practitioner or healthcare employer there are already numerous professional, regulatory and employment checks involved in running a safe service, which makes NMC registration one of the basic checks that should never be overlooked. Having worked in recruitment for some years, I would still be amazed to see a nurse start work without the relevant pre-employment checks being completed, checked and recorded accordingly.

The process is straightforward. Employers and members of the public can search the NMC register to check whether a nurse or midwife can practise in the UK, and whether there are restrictions, cautions or other relevant registration details. Where possible, the nurse’s PIN should be used to make sure the correct record is being checked.

The important point is not whether practices need another reminder, but that registration checks should form part of a consistent recruitment and ongoing workforce process. A nurse’s registration status can change, so practices should have suitable systems for checking and recording professional registration rather than treating it as a one-off formality.

It still begs the question how any unregistered nurse could reach the point of practising without the issue being identified earlier. Whatever the reason, proper checks protect patients, practices and the nursing profession itself.