Should the job title 'nurse' be legally protected?
By Gemma Raw
Many of those working in registered nursing jobs think so, with over 80% of Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members voting in favour of a change in the law.
The campaign began in October last year, when the chief nursing officers (CNOs) for England and Wales backed the move to legally restrict the use of the term 'nurse' to those who are registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
At the moment, only the title 'registered nurse' is protected by law. Therefore, anyone can claim to be a nurse, including those who have no formal qualifications and those who have been struck off the NMC register or who have been convicted of a serious crime.
Previous research
There have been concerns about the formal designation of some nursing roles for some time. In 2017, researchers at London South Bank University (LSBU) carried out a survey, which found that an array of job titles such as advanced nurse practitioner or specialist nurse were often used without having any relationship with other factors such as education.
The LSBU research was led by Alison Leary, Professor of Healthcare and Workforce Modelling. In 2021 she sponsored a petition calling for legal protection of the term 'nurse', which attracted over 30,000 signatures.
“There is an issue about other professionals calling themselves nurses and employers appointing people into nursing roles without nursing qualifications and registration,” commented Professor Leary. She also said that she believed that a shortage of nurses was a major factor in the opening up of nursing jobs to other professionals.
RCN debate
The RCN debate saw an 89% turnout of voting members, with a total of 452 members voting in favour of legally protecting the term 'nurse' and only 60 voting against, with 29 abstentions.
Several members cited cases where the term 'nurse' had been misused, resulting in patients being misled into thinking they were being cared for by a qualified nurse. Concerns were also raised about protecting the integrity and reputation of the profession and ensuring that the overall profile of the nursing workforce isn't compromised.
"This issue unites us all," said Sally Bassett, Chair of the Nurses in Management and Leadership Forum, which tabled the resolution. "Without protection, it's not possible to capture accurate workforce data, there is a risk of dilution of registered nurses, and there is a risk to how the government's promised 50,000 nurses will be filled. This is a patient safety issue."
Government response
The Department of Health and Social Care has promised to review which nursing titles are protected by law as part of its wider strategy to modernise the regulatory system for health professionals. A consultation was carried out from March to June 2021 and feedback is currently being analysed.
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