July 2024 saw the publication of the Independent Culture Review of the NMC by Nazir Afzal OBE. The Review is a mix of quantitive data, such as employee retention, and, crucially qualititive data – the voices of the employees of the NMC and the culture within.
While the Review reflected some positive aspects of working for the NMC, there were many horrific reports which included bullying, racism, sexism and people considering that supporting vulnerable people is a “weakness”.
Over 18% of employees said that they had witnessed “discrimination, victimisation or harassment” from panel members or NMC staff. Nearly 10% of staff reported being victims themselves of the same.
Fitness to Practice panel staff raised issues around ethnicity. One panel member reported being told that her Indian name was “very difficult” and did they have a shorter version. Others noted that the panels were not diverse, and raised concerns about how this may affect the outcomes of NMC registrants who were facing a FTP hearing. One damning quote says, “It now makes me laugh when I hear the value of Kind being mentioned in communications – it doesn’t feel like that it is a value that is adopted – it’s just a word bandied about that makes it sound like that kindness is an embedded value – I don’t believe it is.”
The Association of Radical Midwives, ARM, responded to the Report with an open letter to Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. You can read the letter here. In it, they say:
“The NMC’s lawyer-driven, adversarial, punitive, destructive, and ridiculously drawn out approach to professional discipline and regulation is not in the public interest.”
“The charges made against [independent midwives] often result from the NMC’s complete lack of understanding of women’s reproductive rights and autonomy.”
“…the NMC is a contributor to the implosion of the maternity services over recent years and the unsafe environments in which women in the UK are giving birth to their children.”
“An institutional bully of the profession it regulates”
Will the NMC take note this time and make changes from within? Will the new Government recognise its failings and intervene?
Some midwives are fighting back. YOU can make a difference.
1) Contact Wes Streeting (link here) and tell him your experiences with the NMC.
2) Join the Association of Radical Midwives (ARM) Midwives’ Haven group for support and campaign ideas. You can choose what aspects of the group you would like to join in with (contact ARM here).
This is a great movement for change – why not be a part of it!