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Press release: NHS Employers responds to reviews of professional regulation

13 Nov 2006

Employers need to play a greater role in the regulation of healthcare professionals in the future according to NHS Employers today, in response to the national reviews on workforce regulation.

Following consultation with employers in NHS organisations in England, NHS Employers has submitted evidence to the reviews of medical and non-medical workforce regulation, highlighting the recognition that employers have a responsibility to ensure the competence of their staff, something which historically has not been properly acknowledged.  This will result in a greater role for employers in the regulation of professionals and a stronger link between professional and wider system regulation.

Alastair Henderson, Deputy Director of NHS Employers said:

'Proper recognition of the crucial role that employers play is long overdue.  Employers have a duty to provide a high quality of care to their patients and they can only fulfil this duty if they are responsible for the competence of their staff.   This fact has never been properly acknowledged.  The clear message from employers is that they are in the best position to assess the competence of their staff and to ensure that their patients are properly protected.'

NHS Employers evidence addresses the following areas:

* On GMC affiliates - there is little support amongst employers for the model of the GMC affiliate.  Employers are concerned about confusion of responsibility and accountability and think that this role should be part of the duties of the medical director and should be integrated in local systems of clinical governance
* On revalidation of medical staff - employers support the principle of revalidation of doctors and of re-licensure and re-certification of specialty standards but feel that there needs to be consistency across specialties so that the bar is set at a similar level
* On revalidation of non-medical staff - employers acknowledge that this is the most far-reaching recommendation with the most significant long-term impact. They point out that this would represent a significant challenge for employers in terms of capacity and resource. However, they support the concept of revalidation of non-medical staff and believe that the knowledge and skills framework should be used as the basis of this
* On the standard of proof - employers believe that this should be appropriate to the level of sanction, with a higher standard applicable to erasure from the register than to a warning or the imposition of conditions on future practice, and that standards should be consistent across regulators.

Alastair adds:

'The recommendations place significant responsibilities on employers.  This will be a challenge for some organisations and we will need to work closely with them to help them deliver any new responsibilities efficiently and effectively.'

Notes for editors

• NHS Employers evidence was gathered through a consultation exercise with employers.  Employers responded to an on-line survey and attended a seminar where they shared their views on the subject
• NHS Employers evidence is available at http://www.nhsemployers.org/practice/practice-1941.cfm

Contact details

The press office provides a comprehensive service to keep journalists informed about the work of NHS Employers.

If you have a media enquiry, please contact the press office team:

• Gemma Jeffcoate
  0207 074 3308 or gemma.jeffcoate@nhsemployers.org
• Emma Stafford
  0207 074 3307 or emma.stafford@nhsemployers.org

For out of hours media enquiries, please contact the duty press officer on 07880 500726.

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