Working after an NMC fitness to practice referral – what’s your experience?

By Alison Corr, University of Nottingham on 01 October 2021

Many midwives are referred to the NMC every year (176 in the 2020-21 reporting period, 227 in 2019-20, 205 in 2018-19), but there is a lack of understanding as to what it is like to work as a midwife after you have been through, and come out the other side of an NMC FtP referral.

I am a midwife doing a PhD, exploring midwives’ experiences of working after an NMC FtP referral. I am currently in the participant recruitment phase of my research – asking midwives who have been referred to the NMC FtP process, if they would like to talk to me about their experiences. I have spoken with several midwives so far and am really grateful to them for taking the time to speak with me. The midwives I have spoken to have had a range of experiences, some continue to work as they did before the referral, others have changed career paths and others have left midwifery completely. Some midwives have found this an easy process, others have found it more difficult to carry on as they did before.  All of the midwives who have shared their stories with me are helping to build a picture of what it is like to work as a midwife, or why they chose to leave midwifery, after being referred to the NMC FtP. The aim of my research is to better understand midwives’ experiences and needs following the FtP process, in the hope of making a difference to those who are referred in the future.

Would you like to be involved? 

Are you a midwife who has been referred to the NMC fitness to practice process, had the referral concluded within the last 5 years and were eligible to work following the FtP (were not removed from the register)?

What would be involved? 

If you want to take part, you would be invited to chat to me about your experiences over an online video call. Your identity and the information you share for this study will be treated confidentially. The research is independent from the NMC. My PhD is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) and the School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham. 

Would you like to more information?

You can contact me by email: ttxac109@nottingham.ac.uk twitter: @AlisonCorr2 or phone: 0747 808 6754