The first stage in the fitness to practise process is called screening. This is where we look at the concern someone’s raised with us in more detail and decide on the next steps.
Why do we screen cases?
Being fit to practise means that a professional on our register can practise as a nurse, midwife or nursing associate unsupervised, safely and effectively. We screen cases to assess whether a concern about the professional suggests there’s a risk that could require us to action to stop them from working or put conditions on their practice.
It’s important to note that not every concern raised about a professional on our register will require regulatory action. In many cases concerns can be managed more quickly and appropriately by employers.
Our approach to screening
As a regulator, our role isn't to punish people for things that have happened, but to make sure that nurses, midwives and nursing associates meet the standards they need to practise safely.
When we begin looking at a concern, we'll assume that the nurse, midwife or nursing associate are usually safe and competent professionals, unless there’s evidence that they caused harm or acted recklessly on purpose.
We'll always take account of the context of a situation when we decide if there's a risk to public safety that requires us to take regulatory action.
Read more about how we take account of context
Making screening decisions
The process consists of us asking ourselves:
- Do we have a concern in writing about someone on our register?
- Is there evidence to suggest that there is an ongoing risk to public safety, public confidence or professional standards that could require us to take regulatory action?
This process is intended to be used flexibly to help us reach the right decision fairly and quickly. For example, if the information we’ve received does not suggest a risk requiring restrictions on practice, we’ll keep a record of the concern raised, but won’t take steps to establish whether the individual referred is on our register.
