The UK’s under-fire nursing regulator is being forced to investigate as a third of universities may have released trainee nurses to work in hospitals despite failing to carry out hundreds of hours of mandatory training.
The potential training failure comes after the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) allegedly ignored warnings from universities about the problem three years ago, with the regulator only now taking action.
The blunder means an unknown number of nurses may have been sent to work in hospitals without the required amount of experience, and hundreds of student nurses have already had their graduation date delayed, leaving some concerned about public safety.
It is the latest challenge for the body following a damning report into the NMC, which The Independent revealed last week found is endangering the public due to its toxic culture and turning a blind eye to serious sexual, physical and racist abuse.
The review, sparked by this publication’s reports of a whistleblower’s allegations, also warned that nurses and midwives are being harmed by the NMC’s delayed and flawed investigation processes – at least six nurses were found to have taken their own lives while under investigation last year.
Thirty out of 98 universities are now facing reviews by the NMC into how they have monitored the qualifications of student nurses and midwives.
Students are required to do 2,300 hours of training but could be hundreds of hours short. However, this does not necessarily mean they are not safe to practice. Student nurses are overseen by a supervisor in their first year of work.
The hours include training on placements in hospitals or community health services, and simulation exercises that model a healthcare scenario for students. However, university administrators recorded hours that students took to “reflect” on their work.
One former NMC source suggested lunch hours were also being recorded as training hours.
Four former NMC staff members separately told The Independent alleged concerns were first raised to the highest levels of the organisation in 2021 when six universities flagged inaccuracies.
However, sources say no action was taken to address this until last year. The NMC said in a statement it became officially aware in December 2022.
One student at Brighton University, who asked to remain anonymous, said she believes the problem is a public safety issue and that students at her university are in limbo over how they will make up hours.
She said: “I always thought to myself, I’m going to make sure I’m doing 2,300 because if I look a patient or their family in the face and say ‘yeah I’m qualified, I’ve done what my regulator says I need to’ but actually I haven’t, then I’m a liar.
“I repeatedly said it to my year of students and was told, ‘don’t look for problems where there are none’.”
The issue appears to have arisen following the pandemic in 2021 when the NMC temporarily loosened rules around what could be recorded as training hours.
According to reports in the Nursing Times, the University of Brighton had incorrectly told its students they could automatically record 5.5 hours of “reflective practice”, which is essentially time spent learning from and reflecting on the job or simulation training.
A University of Brighton spokesperson said: “Following initial discussions with the NMC earlier this year, we acted swiftly to make changes to the way students on our nursing courses achieve their clinical hours to meet the required standards.
“The NMC has provided assurance that the steps we have taken will enable our students to complete their required clinical hours, graduate and begin their future careers.”
Last year some Canterbury Christchurch students were told their graduation date would be delayed because of a similar problem.
The NMC found 160 of the nurses who had graduated and gone on to work needed to be reviewed and put through a “fraudulent or incorrect entry process”. They have all now been deemed safe. The university said the issue had been highlighted 12 months ago and since rectified, with all third-year students qualifying and starting jobs last autumn.
In April the NMC sent a letter to education providers asking them to review courses.
One source, who has since left the NMC, claimed the team having to deal with the problem did not have enough staff to address it properly. This was raised to the chief executive.
It is not clear how many students could be affected, but each year around 100,000 nurses and midwives qualify across 98 universities.
The Independent understands universities could face legal action from students if they are forced to pay more to make up their courses.
Sam Foster, of the NMC, said: “We’re looking at this very carefully to understand whether we could have identified this at an earlier point.”
She said the regulator was “working collaboratively with key stakeholders” to address the issue in a way that was “safe, proportionate and fair”.
Patricia Marquis, executive director of the Royal College of Nursing England, said: “We are very concerned by reports that some institutions have mismanaged student access to practice learning.
“Any student who finds that they haven’t completed enough hours, and so are unable to graduate and start their career in health and care, should receive appropriate financial compensation to ensure that they do not have to personally carry the costs.”