NMC welcomes report on Kirkup investigation into University Hospitals Morecambe Bay Trust

The NMC welcomes the report into maternity and neonatal services at University Hospitals Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT). 

NMC Chief Executive and Registrar Jackie Smith said: 

“We recognise that it has taken too long to deal with individual complaints and we are sorry that the delay has caused distress to the families affected. We have speeded up the time it takes us to deal with complaints, but we know we need to do more.

“Today’s report makes very significant recommendations which we will consider carefully. Every midwife and nurse has a responsibility to speak up when things go wrong and the work we are doing with the GMC on the Duty of Candour will reinforce that duty to speak up.   

“We are pleased that the Inquiry and the Department of Health have acknowledged the need to remove supervision from our legislation. With the necessary and long overdue changes to our legislation, we can make further improvements. 

“What happened to the families at Morecambe Bay was awful and we have a duty, when things go wrong to act swiftly.”

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Notes for editors

1.   The Nursing and Midwifery Council exists to protect the public. We do this by ensuring that only those who meet our requirements are allowed to practise as a nurse or midwife in the UK. We take action if concerns are raised about whether a nurse or midwife is fit to practise.

2.   There are 686,002 nurses and midwives on the NMC’s register. 42,395 are midwives.  

3.   For media enquiries, please contact Ann Brown or Hannah Schraer at media@nmc-uk.org or on 020 7681 5649/5936.