Advocacy support

NMCWatch provides advocacy support, to those who need it, during Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) proceedings. Our role as advocates is to support and guide you throughout the process and prepare you for your case. Here’s a summary of how we do this.

Support: through our support group, buddy program and one-to-one mentorship we can help you feel more confident and able to speak up for yourself. We may need to be with you while you advocate for yourself in difficult meetings or conversations. 

Information: we will help you access information and services. 

Decision-making: we will help you reach the correct decision for you

Rights: we will help you understand your rights and make sure you are treated fairly. 

Advocate: we can speak to the NMC on your behalf or with you, if there are aspects you need to clarify and are struggling to do so. You will need to ensure your legal representation is happy for us to do this on your behalf, but sometimes we can liaise with our contacts at the NMC to help navigate through difficult aspects. We won’t be able to influence your case but if there are things that are causing blockers, we can try to help you get the NMC to unblock them. These may be timings of hearings, delays in communication, or making safeguarding teams aware of areas causing you distress.

NMCWatch does not provide any legal advice on your case.

We can share our own experiences and the knowledge we have gained along the way about the FtP process but you need to seek legal representation in order to get direct advice on your case. You can represent yourself, in which case we can advise you how to do so. 

One of our Directors, Simon Holborn has provided representation services for over 30 years and does so via his company Humans Ltd. When we identify someone who needs representation we gather information with your consent and then introduce you to Humans Ltd who will take over the case management. We also have professional relationships with other providers who we can seek advice from or direct you to if you want to find out more. NMCWatch is separate to Humans Ltd whilst you may also be supported by the group and / or buddies or one of our mentors, the relationship with Humans Ltd is independent of our work. If you consent, your buddy or mentor may be able to share information with Humans Ltd that will assist in your case work such as reflection work and CPD, but this will be done in partnership with you and with you leading the communication.

Cathryn Watters, Director and Founder of NMCWatch, works for Simon on case management, providing mentorship and remediation work on an individual basis with registrants he represents. Cathryn also offers individual mentorship to registrants who have alternative representation, for example from their union, but feel they need extra guidance. She will first see if you can be supported by a buddy but can step in if needed. Cathryn offers this mentorship through her own consultancy, Fit2Practise.

The majority of nurses and midwives who join NMCWatch have legal representation via their union. We will always encourage members to engage well with their unions as we are not here to offer alternative legal advice. However, through our own experiences, we can assist in asking your union representative the right questions so that you understand how the working relationship will be and how to get the best from them.

Some nurses and midwives choose to seek private legal representation and this can sometimes be funded through your home contents insurance policy. Some policies will facilitate and fund legal representation. The Nurses Defence Service is one such organisation that we hear good feedback about.

A small number in our group cannot use their union representation due to the cover they have or if an incident occurred before joining the union. There are some that do not belong to a union and cannot afford to fund a private lawyer to represent them in their case. As a result, we have been working with external organisations to try to address this.

It is well documented that if you do not have representation your outcome can often be worse than if you do – therefore we see how important this is. If someone has had previous union or private legal support we will always encourage them to continue to try to work with them, and resolve the issues that are causing blocks. 

How you proceed is your choice but we offer another option to explore – something which is often lacking in this process.

Our advocacy support works!

Our aim is to empower you to present your case appropriately and achieve the best possible outcome. NMC hearings can be complex and stressful for the nurse or midwife involved, and not having representation may result in poorer outcomes. We  are knowledgeable about the process, provide emotional support and mentor you to work through key issues to ensure your case is presented appropriately. 

It is important to note that while advocacy can usually play a positive role, it is not a substitute for qualified legal advice. We hope our Advocacy Programme can help you navigate the NMC process and achieve a positive outcome.

The messages of thanks we get show the effect our Advocacy Programme has – read more on the Feedback page.