Advice

The purpose of advice

Advice is given privately to the nurse or midwife to help them to avoid future incidents which could call into question their fitness to practise. This is different to warnings which are given publicly.

Case examiners can give advice if the nurse or midwife accepts the basis of our regulatory concern.

When we may give advice to resolve a case

We wouldn’t investigate a case unless the concern about a nurse or midwife’s practice appeared serious enough to call into question their fitness to practise.

Because of this, advice is most likely to be given in cases where a regulatory concern, which appeared serious enough to meet the test for investigation, has fallen away during the course of our investigation, leaving only minor breaches of the Code.

What advice we give

Case examiners will give advice to a nurse or midwife to remind them of their obligations under the Code. They may also signpost to relevant guidance or standards that may help the nurse or midwife keep their practice safe in the future, where appropriate.