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<p>Much is being done to raise standards in patient safety in hosptials. In February,
the Department published an assessment of progress in <em>Culture Change in the NHS:
Applying the lessons of the Francis Inquiries</em>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Key
areas of progress include:</p><p> </p><p>- a new inspection regime with the Care Quality
Commission appointing three powerful Chief Inspectors for hospitals, social care and
primary care and a new set of fundamental standards;</p><p> </p><p>- a programme of
safety improvement including a three-year safety campaign and network of 15 patient
safety collaboratives to drive improvement in areas of safety that can make the biggest
impact to patients;</p><p> </p><p>- a drive towards greater transparency in the NHS
on measures of patient safety and patient experience, and a new legal duty of candour
on all organisations to ensure that when something goes wrong, patients and their
relatives are told about it promptly; and</p><p> </p><p>- a national programme led
by Health Education England programme to ensure that patient safety is at the heart
of the education and training of the health and care workforce.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
</p><p>The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the independent regulator of nurses
and midwives in the United Kingdom and is responsible for nurse registration. We expect
the NMC’s registration processes and associated checks to protect patient safety through
being appropriate, robust, fit for purpose and effective, and by verifying that a
nursing applicant is who they claim to be, is appropriately qualified, is competent
and fit-to-practise.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The criminal acts of patient poisonings
in 2011 at Stepping Hill, perpetrated by registered nurse Victorino Chua (with a Philipino
qualification), have raised concern about the NMC’s registration processes. Since
2011, the NMC has strengthened its process for registering applicants from countries
outside the European Economic Area, supported by over £4 million of additional Government
funding. Improvements include a clinical test of competence, a more robust system
of face-to-face identity checks and advanced passport scanning technology to verify
identity documents. Due to concern about untrained overseas nurses working in the
Untied Kingdom, the NMC audited some 14,000 nurses, which did not result in any regulatory
action.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
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