Caution order
A caution order is the least serious of our sanctions in that it is the least restrictive.
A caution order is only appropriate if the Fitness to Practise Committee has decided there’s no risk to the public or to patients requiring the nurse, midwife or nursing associate’s practice to be restricted, meaning the case is at the lower end of the spectrum of impaired fitness to practise, however the Fitness to Practise committee wants to mark that the behaviour was unacceptable and must not happen again.
Because a caution order doesn’t affect a nurse, midwife or nursing associate’s right to practise, the Committee will always need to ask itself if its decision about the nurse, midwife or nursing associate’s fitness to practise indicated any risk to patient safety.
If it did, the panel members will then have to ask themselves whether a caution order will be enough to protect the public, given that it would allow the nurse, midwife or nursig associate to continue to practise without any restriction.
How long can a caution order run?
A caution order can be ordered to run for a period of between one and five years. It is recorded on the register and published on our website, and disclosed to anyone enquiring about the nurse, midwife or nursing associate’s fitness to practise history.
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- Last Updated: 12/10/2018
The guidance in our library, needs to be read alongside our NMC Guidance during the Covid-19 emergency period. We have new rules that are in force during the period of the coronavirus emergency that are relevant to how it applies.
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FtP library
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Understanding Fitness to Practise
- Aims and principles for fitness to practise
- Allegations we consider
- How we determine seriousness
- Why we screen cases
- When we use interim orders
- Investigations
- Examining cases
- How we manage cases
- Meetings and hearings
- Resolving cases by agreement
- What sanctions are and when we might use them
- Remediation and insight
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Screening
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The four stages of our screening decision
- The four stages of our screening decision - overview
- Stage one: Determine if the concern is serious enough to affect fitness to practise
- Stage two: Check it meets our formal requirements
- Stage three: Check whether we can obtain credible evidence
- Stage four: Check for evidence of remediation
- Cases not referred for further investigation
- Determining the regulatory concern
- Screening incorrect or fraudulent entry cases
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The four stages of our screening decision
- Interim Orders
- Investigations
- Case Examiners
- Preparing for the FtP Committee
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Case management
- Hearing fitness to practise allegations together
- Telephone conferences
- Preliminary meetings
- Dealing with cases at hearings or meetings
- Voluntary removal
- Cancelling hearings
- Constitution of panels
- Proceeding with hearings when the nurse, midwife or nursing associate is absent
- Case management during hearings
- Hearings in private and in public
- When we postpone or adjourn hearings
- FtP Committee decision making
- Sanctions
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Reviews
- Reviewing case examiner decisions
- Interim order reviews
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Substantive order reviews
- Substantive order reviews - overview
- Standard reviews before expiry
- Early review
- Exceptional cases: changing orders with immediate effect at a standard review
- Review of striking-off orders
- New allegations
- Reviewing orders when there may have been a breach
- Reviews where an interim order is in place
- Allowing orders to expire when a nurse or midwife’s registration will lapse
- Appeals and restoration