NMC reiterates the importance of employment checks
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has undertaken a review of six fitness to practice cases that involve alleged identity fraud.
The NMC is keen to highlight these cases with employers in the NHS to raise awareness of the risks.
The alleged identity fraud cases described all took place in the workplace, and typically involved hospital trusts and/or nursing agencies located in England. The regulator believes that all cases involved the alleged fraudulent use of a genuine NMC registrant’s identity by one or more non-registrants, for the purpose of gaining work in roles that are for registered nurses.
In all the identified cases, the fraud occurred in the workplace, and there is no evidence of fraudulent entry to the register.
Employers and agencies are advised to remain vigilant against the risk of identity fraud and to conduct thorough identity verification processes as part of pre-employment checks. Identity checks should be conducted on all new employees, including agency staff.
With this in mind, employers are reminded of their responsibility to have robust and safe employment checking processes and procedures in place and that these meet the requirements of the NHS Employment Checks Standards, to try to prevent such cases occurring.
More information about the NMC’s approach to dealing with fraudulent registration is available on its website.
