• Jane was referred to the NMC in 2016 following three minor incidents at her trust. Having only qualified 5months earlier she found herself working on a ward that was not appropriate for a newly qualified member of staff. The ward managers and fellow staff nurses resented the fact that Jane could not immediately take on the same level of workload and required supervision and mentorship. They employed her as a newly qualified member of staff but did not offer what was required. She was booked on to the preceptorship program but this was not due to start until 3 months later. She was booked on the medicines management course, but on completion of this was left to do drug rounds having not had her competencies signed off. She was unable to undertake IV’s as she had not been put on to the course. Embarrassed to question their decisions for fear of reprimand. Having to listen to tutts and groans as the other staff had to cover her IV drugs and told her to do the oral drug round to “pull her weight” she found herself in an untenable situation. Set up to fail. Disciplined for drug errors which would not have occurred if she had had appropriate support and supervision. Referred to the NMC after only being qualified less than a year – career stopped in its tracks before it had properly started. • Tom and Ben were referred to the NMC. They were both experienced drug and alcohol workers running a home detox programme that was having a great deal of success when NHS programmes failed or were not accessible. Ben was a nurse prescriber. Tom a mental health nurse. Both had decades of experience. They went through the FtP process and after a year of investigation were found with “no case to answer”. However for Ben this has had a monumental impact. Suffering now for severe PTSD and unable to work at the level her previously did his life has been changed forever. He will never practice to the same level again and will always have to cope with the affect on his mental health that this has had. • Betty faced a FtP process and on being referred was disciplined by her NHS trust and fired on the grounds of misconduct. Betty had had 25years of unblemished career prior to the referral, practiced at Band 7 and was well recognised within her field. The referral was by a more junior member of staff whom she had been trying to support through mentorship and rather than taking on the guidance Betty could offer, she placed vexatious allegations about her conduct towards her leading to the NMC investigating. The investigation took almost 2 years during which Betty had lost her job. Better was the sole bread winner, her husband unable to work due to chronic illness and she had 3 young children under 16. She was unable to continue with mortgage payments, but due to the equity in the house did not qualify for legal aid or other such benefits. Her husband’s condition deteriorated suddenly, she feels due to the stress of the situation and he subsequently died. Betty was alone, single mother to her 3 children, unable to work in her chosen profession. With no where to turn, she was helped by friends who gave her and her children somewhere to live and between them provided her with food and clothes and basic to live. Betty is a proud lady but had to accept any help she could. Two years later the NMC found “no case to answer” – it was too late for Betty. Even though she could in theory return to work, her confidence clinically destroyed her career was over. There are thousands of cases like this every year. It is not fiction – they are the stories of real people who joined a profession to care and found themselves with no one to care for them This has to change. Sign the petition.