Nursing Watchdog Vows Radical Change After Past Failures
Paul Rees, the newly appointed leader of the UK's nursing regulator, has issued a stark admission that the organisation was "completely wrong" in its previous refusal to investigate nurses accused of serious offences, including sexual assault, committed outside of their workplace. This marks a significant shift for the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which is now pledging a comprehensive overhaul of its standards and practices.
A History of Defensiveness and a Fresh Start
The NMC's controversial past approach was brought to light by a series of investigations by The Independent, which revealed that rogue nurses were able to continue working within the National Health Service. The regulator had previously declined to probe allegations of abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence in nurses' private lives, claiming such matters fell outside its official remit.
This stance prompted an independent inquiry led by Nazir Afzal KC, which delivered a damning verdict. The report criticised the NMC's former leadership for its "wilful deafness to criticism" and a pattern of resisting whistleblowers. In his first major interview as NMC chief, Mr Rees apologised for a string of scandals, stating, "We have to be honest about things that have gone wrong. And things have gone wrong in the past."
He highlighted the case of psychiatric nurse John Iwuh as a prime example of the regulator's failure. Iwuh was jailed for 16 years in July 2025 for rape and voyeurism, yet he remained free to treat patients for a full year after police first informed the NMC of their investigation in 2022. Mr Rees explicitly apologised for this critical delay.
The Path to Rebuilding Public Trust in the NHS
The new guidance from the NMC now unequivocally states that a nurse's conduct in their personal life is just as important as their professional behaviour. "The issue was that the guidance stated where nursing and midwifery or professionals did something outside of their working life, it was outside of our concerns – that was completely wrong," Mr Rees explained. "It should have been saying what you do outside of work is just as important as what you do at work."
Mr Rees has committed to "turn the ship around," though he acknowledges this transformation may take years. His success is vital, as the NMC is a cornerstone of public confidence in the NHS, working alongside bodies like the General Medical Council and the Care Quality Commission. Patients must be assured that the medical professionals caring for them are fully fit to practise.
Ten months into his role, Mr Rees has initiated many necessary changes, including replacing much of the senior management team. However, a whistleblower, currently in an employment dispute with the NMC, alleges that "the same defensive, dishonest culture" persists. While an NMC spokesperson has labelled these claims "simply incorrect," there remains a hope that this is not a return to the organisation's past habit of deflecting justified criticism. The future of public trust in the NHS hinges on the regulator's ability to foster a culture of transparency and accountability.
