Exclusive: The Nursing and Midwifery Council under fire again in wake of series of investigations by The Independent. The beleaguered nursing regulator has been accused of covering up secret reports raising concerns about its failure to act on rogue nurses, The Independent can reveal.
![[Nazir Afzal published a review into the NMC in July]](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2017/06/03/14/nazirafzalan123285715file-photo-dated.jpg)
Fresh calls have been made for a parliamentary inquiry into the Nursing and Midwifery Council after it refused to publish the internal review highlighting new failures to protect the public. Senior staff at the NMC carried out an investigation this year into how the regulator handled dozens of serious allegations against nurses and midwives after whistleblowers raised concerns last year.
![[The Department of Health and Social Care has said the NMC must take firm action following the Afzal review]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/18/15/e93f420c09913df66219beb613d6c72fY29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzM0NjIwMDM1-2.76645977.jpg)
The Independent revealed in 2023 that the scandal-hit watchdog was not fit for purpose, prompting it to admit a series of failings and commission two independent probes, one of which was carried out by top KC Nazir Afzal and published in July. The Afzal review found the NMC had taken seven years to strike off a nurse who had been accused of sexually assaulting a patient and colleague and in a separate case did not take action against a nurse accused of accessing child pornography.
The Independent understands this latest internal review found that the NMC is still failing to adequately consider restrictions on nurses’ and midwives’ practice when they’ve faced serious allegations, such as sexual misconduct, and child abuse.
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