More than a dozen rogue nurses who should have been struck off have been free to work in the NHS for up to 12 years after a major vetting failure by the UK’s scandal-hit regulator.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council said 15 workers on its register should have banned because they had criminal convictions or health concerns, which meant they were not safe to work with patients.
The “astounding failure” emerged after the regulator was forced to review 18,060 applications made by nurses and midwives over a 12-year period to join or stay on the regulator’s register – which they need to be on in order to practice in the UK – after a staff whistleblower raised concerns in February.
The review, which looked at whether any criminal convictions and health concerns had been declared in those applications, found 421 cases should be reassessed. Of these, at least 15 professionals were found to have convictions that were so serious that they should have been struck off.
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Those workers will now be referred to a fitness to practice hearing, where it is recommended they are struck off, the NMC said.
Professor Lynn Woolsey, chief nursing officer for the Royal College of Nursing, said: “This is the latest in a catalogue of failings at the Nursing and Midwifery Council and again calls into question whether it is fit for purpose as our profession’s regulator.
“Today’s vague apology will not suffice, and we will lead the UK’s nursing staff in asking very tough questions.”
She accused the watchdog of “severely undermining” the public’s trust in the nursing profession. “It is an astounding failure of its primary purpose to safeguard the public, as well as to provide assurance to the nursing workforce that they and their colleagues had all undergone the necessary checks to practise.”
The RCN is calling for a further independent investigation into how and why the failings occurred and went undetected for so long.
The news comes after the regulator underwent an overhaul of its leadership after a series of investigations by The Independent in 2024, which exposed whistleblower allegations that a “toxic” and “bullying” within its ranks had allowed rogue nurses to go on working unchecked.
The investigations led the NMC to commission an independent inquiry, led by former public prosecutor Nazir Afzal, which found that a toxic at every level was putting the public and nurses at risk.
Following the reports, several board members, including the former chief executive, stepped down from the NMC. In 2025, the regulator admitted that it failed to sanction serial killer Lucy Letby when she was first referred.
Last year, The Independent uncovered that a rapist nurse was left free to work for a year, and his organisations not informed of an investigation the regulator was carrying out.
In the announcement on Wednesday, the regulator claimed that a staff member had come forward to raise concerns about a “historical failure” by the NMC to follow the full process required for investigating concerns over nurses’ character and health when they apply to renew their registration.
When a nurse, midwife or nursing associate applies to renew their registration or rejoin the register after leaving, they must declare any issues that may prevent them from being able to practise safely and effectively. These issues could include, for example, a criminal record for a serious offence or an unmanaged health condition.
These declarations should be considered by a specialist team, and any concerns should then be referred to a senior manager, called an assistant registrar. However, the NMC discovered that concerns over nurses were not being consistently referred to assistant registrars.
This failure meant hundreds of nurses, midwives or nursing associates were not properly reviewed.
The regulator said it is “undertaking a comprehensive investigation to establish the facts around this historical failure.”
The NMC also said that, as a result of its programme to improve its in the last 20 months, it has sacked 18 people for bullying others or for being racist.
Paul Rees MBE, chief executive and registrar, who was appointed last year said: “I would like to apologise for the fact that for a period of 12 years, we failed to ensure that all health and character declarations were assessed in line with our full process.
“This is completely and utterly unacceptable.
“The NMC has faced a challenging period for a number of years, culminating in the publication of the Independent Review in July 2024, which highlighted that the organisation was affected with a range of problems, including bullying, harassment, racism and failures of systems.”
He said the NMC is under new leadership, which is determined to turn around the organisation over the next three years.
He added: “We’re turning over all the stones and dealing with the issues as they emerge. It’s because of the measures we put in place that this historical problem was discovered.”