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UK nurses and midwives who should have been banned have worked for last 12 years

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · · 942 words · By Denis Campbell
Institutional accountability Patient Safety Regulatory Failure
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What to know about Institutional accountability

Nurses and midwives who should have been banned from treating patients have practised over the last 12 years because of “potentially dangerous” failings by a medical regulator.

Claims checked 11
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left20%
Center60%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Nurses and midwives who should have been banned from treating patients have practised over the last 12 years because of “potentially dangerous” failings by a medical regulator.

Why it matters

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has admitted that its “completely and utterly unacceptable” mistakes meant it failed to protect the public from about 15 professionals whom it should have banned from ever working in healthcare in the UK because they…

Common ground

The nurses and midwives told the NMC about their criminal convictions when they applied to join or stay on the regulator’s register, which they need to be on in order to practise in Britain.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/27/uk-nurses-midwives-not-banned-wo…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4
check_circle Corroborated 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
schedule Pending 1
info
Claim 1: “NMC staff who assessed their applications did not then refer them on to an assistant registrar at the regulator to investigate and decide if they could treat patients”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the general failure of the NMC is corroborated, the specific detail about the failure to refer to an 'assistant registrar' is not explicitly confirmed by multiple independent sources in the provided evidence, though it aligns with the reported systemic failure.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 27, 2026 ... Sarah Dee Professor Standards Authority for Health and Social Care - the NMC has failed in public protection, this is the lattes scandal, ...
https://www.facebook.com/NursingStandardJournal/posts/hundre…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Feb 24, 2026 ... This guide explains how the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) regulates nurses, midwives and nursing associates, including its role in ...
https://www.rcn.org.uk/Get-Help/RCN-advice/nmc-fitness-to-pr…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — ... disclosures will be reviewing a sample of fitness to practise ... The NMC has investigated a large number of allegations of fraudulent applications to the ...
https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/sites/default/files…
check_circle
Claim 2: “The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has admitted that its “completely and utterly unacceptable” mistakes meant it failed to protect the public from about 15 professionals whom it should have banned from ever working in healthcare in the UK because they had broken the law.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (The Guardian, RCN, and other web results) report that the NMC admitted to failures in considering criminal convictions, leading to professionals remaining on the register who should have been banned.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — A midwife (pl.: midwives) is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialisation known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates exte…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwife
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the regulator for nursing and midwifery professions in the UK. The NMC maintains a register of all nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nursing_and_Midwifery_Council
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nursing in the United Kingdom is the profession of registered nurses and nursing associates in the primary and secondary care of patients. It has evolved from assisting physicians to encompass a varie…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nursing_in_the_United_Kingdom
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 3: “Under NMC rules, any nurse, midwife or nursing assistant seeking to join or remain on the register has to declare any criminal charges laid against them, or police cautions, convictions or conditional discharges... or any medical condition that may impair their ability to do so.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Official NMC guidance and legal service documentation confirm the requirement for applicants to declare criminal charges, cautions, convictions, conditional discharges, and health conditions.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 6, 2025 ... If a nurse, midwife or nursing associate is involved in criminal offending after they joined the register, or renewed their registration, it won ...
https://www.nmc.org.uk/ftp-library/understanding-fitness-to-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A caution for a specified offence is never protected, regardless of how long ago it was given. It will always require disclosure to the NMC and GMC, and will ...
https://www.legisia.co.uk/blog/nmc-gmc-police-caution/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jan 23, 2019 ... The Code requires that you tell us 'as soon as you can'. A failure to disclose a police charge, caution, conviction or conditional discharge.
https://www.nmc.org.uk/globalassets/sitedocuments/nmc-public…
info
Claim 4: “Paul Rees, the NMC’s chief executive... became the regulator’s boss last year in the wake of an independent review in 2024 concluding that the organisation was beset by a range of problems including bullying, harassment, racism and failure of its systems.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim discusses bullying and harassment in other sectors (Ambulance staff, EY Oceania) but does not provide a source confirming an independent review of the NMC in 2024 specifically regarding Paul Rees or these systemic failures.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — It said an independent review should consider leadership within the sector, bullying and harassment including sexual harassment and issues of discrimination, particularly in relation to sexual orienta…
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/ambulance-staff-se…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Cover image for Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, Volume 62...
https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/bfsn20
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — According to the report, employees who suffered from bullying, sexual harassment, or racism were also less likely to report them. Only 36% of bullied employees and 17% of sexually harassed staff said …
https://www.hcamag.com/au/specialisation/diversity-inclusion…
info
Claim 5: “the regulator conceded that it had failed to properly risk-assess a total of 434 individuals over the last 12 years.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific number '434 individuals' is mentioned in the context of the reporting, but not independently corroborated by a second distinct news organization in the provided evidence.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The BMW iX3 (NA5) is a battery electric compact luxury crossover SUV manufactured by BMW, succeeding the X3-based G08. Unlike its predecessor, it is built on the Neue Klasse platform, no longer sharin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_iX3
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Male circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin (prepuce) from the human penis. There is substantial disagreement amongst bioethicists and theologians over the practice of circumcision, with…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics_of_circumcision
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Porsche Macan is a compact luxury crossover SUV (D-segment) produced by German manufacturer Porsche since 2014. It is the smaller SUV from Porsche below the Cayenne. The first-generation Macan ent…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_Macan
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 6: “the nursing and midwifery register of 867,935”
CORROBORATED
The specific figure of 867,935 for the register is cited in multiple independent web results (The Guardian and LinkedIn).
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. Under the U.S. Constitution, the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_Unit…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is the definite article in English. The, or THE, may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_(disambiguation)
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 7: “The nurses and midwives told the NMC about their criminal convictions when they applied to join or stay on the regulator’s register”
CORROBORATED
The Guardian explicitly states that nurses and midwives told the NMC about their convictions, and the NMC's own official guidance confirms that applicants must declare such convictions.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The nurses and midwives told the NMC about their criminal convictions when they applied to join or stay on the regulator’s register, which they need to be on in order to practise in Britain.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/27/uk-nurses-mi…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Nurses, midwives or nursing associates must declare any cautions or convictions, unless these are for a protected caution or conviction, when they apply to join our register or renew their registratio…
https://www.nmc.org.uk/ftp-library/understanding-fitness-to-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has responded to the news that the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) failed over a number of years to properly check criminal records and health declarations for …
https://rcm.org.uk/news/2026/05/rcm-responds-to-nmc-criminal…
help
Claim 8: “That revealed that 434 cases had not received scrutiny because they were not passed to an assistant registrar.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the search results regarding the specific finding that 434 cases were not passed to an assistant registrar following a review of 18,060 applications.
schedule
Claim 9: “Of those 434 cases, 402 involved health professionals who had a criminal charge or conviction, caution or conditional discharge and the other 32 involved those with a health condition that could affect their ability to safely treat patients.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 10: “it is recommending that as many as 15 of the 434 should be struck off.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific recommendation to strike off 'as many as 15' of the 434 is mentioned in the reporting but not independently corroborated by another source in the evidence provided.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Male circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin (prepuce) from the human penis. There is substantial disagreement amongst bioethicists and theologians over the practice of circumcision, with…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics_of_circumcision
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Porsche Macan is a compact luxury crossover SUV (D-segment) produced by German manufacturer Porsche since 2014. It is the smaller SUV from Porsche below the Cayenne. The first-generation Macan ent…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_Macan
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Zeekr X (Chinese: 极氪X; pinyin: Jíkè X) is a battery electric compact crossover SUV developed and produced by Zeekr, a premium NEV brand of Geely. It is the third production vehicle produced by the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeekr_X
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 11: “The regulator then hired a team of paralegals to assess if a total of 18,060 applications across the last 12 years had been properly handled.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the search results regarding the hiring of paralegals to review 18,060 applications.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.