April 20, 2024

Watching the watchdog

The UK bodies which regulate nurses and doctors have been hauled before the High Court for excessive leniency in two recent cases. A new government body, the Council for Regulation of Healthcare Professionals, has challenged a mere caution given to a nurse who ogled pornographic websites while at work in a children’s ward and the acquittal of a doctor who had an inappropriate relationship with a patient. The Council was established last year to deal with extreme cases where the public interest in having a “clearly perverse” decision overturned outweighs the public interest in independent self-regulation. This is the first time that it has exercised its powers.