EWJ June 61 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 28
Fake Nurse Crackdown
to Boost Public Safety
New measures to make it a criminal offence for people who are not qualified as a nurse to use
the title and mislead the public.
Anyone misleading the public and describing
themselves as a nurse without the relevant qualifications and registration will be committing a crime
under new measures announced by the government
to protect the title ‘nurse’ in law.
This is part of our Plan for Change to fix the NHS and gets
the right staff working in the right place at the right time.
Only the title ‘registered nurse’ is currently protected
in law. The new legislation will change that - ensuring
that only those individuals registered with the NMC
can legally use the title. Anyone violating this will be
committing a criminal offence and could face a hefty
fine running into thousands of pounds.
The move will help to boost protections and safety for
both patients and staff, driving up standards and improving patient experience across the NHS through
the government’s Plan for Change.
There have been previous reports of bogus nurses
misleadingly using the title. One ran a cosmetic clinic
offering Botox and dermal filler treatments for several years despite not being registered with the NMC.
Currently, anyone - including those struck off by the
Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for serious
misconduct or criminal convictions - can call themselves a nurse. This can result in the public thinking
they’re getting advice and care from an expert
professional like a nurse when they are not.
Another gave a speech at a COVID-19 conspiracy
rally that likened NHS nurses and doctors to war
criminals - spreading misinformation about vaccines
and bringing her former colleagues into disrepute.
She continued to call herself a nurse despite being
struck off by the NMC.
Previous reported examples of the job title being
misused include someone calling herself a nurse at a
large public event after being struck off and another
reportedly masquerading as an aesthetic nurse.
A previous freedom of information request showed
that across 93% of all NHS trusts, there were more
than 8,000 people with the term ‘nurse’ in their job
title who had no registered nursing qualifications. Although these people are supervised and providing
important care, their job titles can cause confusion.
Some, including nursery nurses, will be exempt under
this new legislation.
There will be exemptions for relevant professions like
veterinary nurse, dental nurse and nursery nurse,
where the title ‘nurse’ is legitimately used.
The government is listening to nurses and recognises
they are the backbone of the NHS, and today’s announcement follows campaigning by unions for the
government to act on the issue, as well as by Dawn
Butler MP who introduced a ten minute rule bill
earlier this year to protect the title ‘nurse’.
Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Officer for England,
said: The trust that people place in registered nurses is based
on the rigorous training and education required to be registered as a nurse, which gives us the skills and knowledge to
deliver high quality, safe and personalised care.
Through the Plan for Change, the government is
driving forward vital reform to get the NHS back on
its feet and fit for the future. This year, a refreshed
workforce plan will also be published to ensure the
health service has the right workforce in the right
place at the right time.
Nurses value this trust and protecting the title of nurse can
give added confidence and clarity to patients and the public
on who is delivering their care and the skills and knowledge
they have.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:
Nurses carry out lifesaving work every day, and I am
determined we do everything we can to support them and safeguard trust in the profession.
There are already various safeguards in place to deter
people from pretending to be a nurse. The most serious cases would be captured by fraud offences and depending on the case they can also be prosecuted for
other more serious offences like causing grievous
bodily harm, assault or manslaughter.
I’ve been appalled to read reports of so-called nurses spreading dangerous misinformation and harming the public.
This new legislation will help crack down on bogus beauticians and conspiracy theorists masquerading as nurses, and
those attempting to mislead patients.
The new legislation - expected to be laid this
Parliament - will help to strengthen those existing
safeguards.
The British people hold nurses in the highest regard, and we
trust them in our most vulnerable moments, so patients need
to know they are genuinely being seen by a nurse. Now they
will.
EXPERT WITNESS JOURNAL
Registered nurses go through high-quality undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes and
complete a process called revalidation every 3 years 26
JUNE 2025
