Scandal-hit nursing regulator still failing to address problems, watchdog warns

The UK’s scandal-hit nursing regulator is still failing to address problems years after a “toxic” culture was first revealed by The Independent.

A review of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in 2023-24, by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) which regulates the body, found it had wrongly approved more than 350 “fraudulent” or “underqualified” nurses to work in the UK.

That followed an expose by The Independent, which uncovered whistleblower allegations of a “toxic” and bullying culture within its ranks that had allowed rogue nurses were free to work in the NHS unchecked, prompting an overhaul of its leadership.

Despite the changes at the top of the organisation, and pledges by its new chief Paul Rees to do better, the PSA’s annual review of 2024-25 said it had not seen evidence of “substantial and sustained improvement”.

The damning assessment comes a day after the NMC admitted more than a dozen rogue nurses who should have been struck off had been free to work in the NHS for up to 12 years after a major vetting failure.

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Source: Independent, 28 May 2026