We have been contacted by a nurse this week who has no union representation. They are facing  an interim order hearing and were ill prepared as to what to expect.

Their colleague who is also referred has representation by the Royal College of Nursing but because this nurse was not a member of the RCN at the time of the incident they will not represent her.

Currently off sick with stress and depression resulting from the incidents that occurred she has turned to us for help. She is unable to fund any representation herself as like many in her situation  has no funds. to do so.

AT NMCWatch we support anyone regardless of their ability to pay - there are organisations such as the Queen Mary's Legal Advice Centre and the Freedom Law Clinic but it still requires the registrant to be able to navigate the main part of the process themselves which can be impossible for many without the peer to peer support we offer.

We have serious concerns about this - we know from the RCN that those with representation have better outcomes than those without - how does the NMC ensure EVERYONE gets fair process and that a registrant who is unrepresented is not discriminated against because they don't know how to prepare and present their side in the best way. 

Another concern is although the employer appears on the outset to be supportive - giving suspension on full pay initially and then moving to bringing back to work, when well enough, in a non clinical role, there are many questions unanswered - namely why have the other members of the team also involved not been referred ?

We will of course support this nurse and help her present her case appropriately - we need help from you to do this