NMC considers new guidelines on whistleblowing

  The Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) is the professional regulatory body for nurses and midwives in UK. In other words – the NMC keeps our names on a register and if we get removed from (struck off) that register we can’t work as nurses any more. Currently the NMC is working on new guidelines for nurses and midwives around whistleblowing.

This seems timely in the light of recent events involving Margaret Haywood who secretly filmed abuses within the Royal Sussex Hospital for Panorama.  Good on yer Margaret. It’s good to know you were reinstated – and you won the Patients’ Choice Award too. Marvellous!

              

It seems that the idea is to come up with a protocol that is in keeping with the views of modern society – not just among nurse culture but the rest of the population as well.

There’s some background information here:

http://www.nmc-uk.org/aArticle.aspx?ArticleID=3733

Not only that – the NMC has been rather sporting in that they’ve asked for suggestions and opinions from us (‘the great unwashed’) about what should be included in the guidelines.

So – if you have any thoughts about what a new set of whistleblowing guidelines should look like please get in touch and let them know. Just drop them a line at:

consultations@nmc-uk.org.

The consultation period will end in April 2010 so you’d better get your skates on!

Before and after the 2009 floods

The Mill field is a piece of common land half a mile or so upstream of the town of Workington. The river Derwent flows through it en route to the sea.

Our little slideshow gives an indication of the effect the recent floods had upon this popular recreational area.

done

The Mule, the mental disorder and the lethal injection

Akmal Shaikh was executed on schedule by lethal injection in accordance with the ruling of the Chinese courts.

More information on China’s execution record here:  http://yjhr.wordpress.com/2009/12/28/shame-on-you-china/