HCSWs Could be Regulated Soon
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which is an independent council that looks into the professional needs of nurses and midwives in the
Many aspects related to patient care and their thorough treatment are taken care of by health care support workers (HCSWs). They also support and coordinate the work performed by midwives and registered nurses. There are about one million HCSWs in
The NMC has appointed Dr Sarah Robinson and Professor Peter Griffiths to study how the public faces risks from unregulated HCSWs. Regulation of HCSWs and the necessary steps/action to be taken to do so is what Professor Griffiths and Dr Robinson will aim at in their research. The research will study all aspects of health care and focus on how nurses and midwives perform their tasks in the NHS and in other hospitals across the
The report from the research is expected to be presented by spring 2010 to the NMC’s Executive Management Board.
NMC Chief Executive and Registrar, Professor Dickon Weir-Hughes told reporters that HCSWs who rank below midwives and registered nurses ought to be bound by certain regulations for the sake of public protection. Any workforce that is left unregulated can have certain serious repercussions as far as health care is concerned.
Weir-Hughes added that it should not happen that a nurse rendering her services in a care home should continue serving in care homes in the role of an HCSW even though her name no longer exists in the register.
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