Cameron tells GMC and NMC to improve accountability

Following the publication of the Mid Staffordshire Foundation public inquiry report today, both the NMC and the GMC have come under fire from the prime minister for failing to protect patients at Mid Staffordshire.

In a speech responding to the report in the Commons, David Cameron said: “We expect the professional regulators to strike off the doctors and nurses who seriously breach their professional code. But in Stafford [Hospital] those expectations were badly let down.”

The NMC was criticised in the Francis report on a number of issues, including its administration, which inquiry chair Robert Francis QC described as “wanting”. Although not the subject of this inquiry, Mr Francis said that “It is imperative in the public interest that this is remedied urgently.”

To help with this, the prime minister said he was going to ask the Law Commission “to advise on sweeping away the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s outdated and inflexible decision-making process.”

Mr Cameron also said that health secretary Jermey Hunt had “invited” the NMC and the GMC to explain what steps they’ll take to strengthen their accountabilty in light of this report”.

The NMC’s acting chief executive Jackie Smith welcomed the announcement: “This is positive news. We gave evidence to the Law Commission that we need a modern and effective framework. For example, our process is less flexible that that of the General Medical Council, because the laws under which we each operate are different.

“We believe that a new framework should aim for a faster, more flexible and fairer system, which would robustly protect patients and the public interest. Obviously a wide range of stakeholders should be consulted on principles and on details in due course.”

Other recommendations in the report included the introduction of a system of revalidation similar to that used in the GMC and to raise the regulator’s profile publicly so that patients knew which body they could raise concerns with.