UKCC Handbook 1998-1999

Introduction

Welcome to the second annual edition of the UKCC Handbook.  This publication provides important information about the UKCC's work and sets out contact details for each directorate.  It is sent directly to all UKCC stakeholders in health care consumer organisations, the health services, the National Boards, professional education, professional organisations and trades unions and government.

This is a critical year for the UKCC, with the beginning of a new council term of office from 1 April 1998 and the forthcoming completion of the government's review of the legislation which underpins the UKCC and the National Boards.  Our business plan for the year, Building on success, sets out the UKCC's core activity, continuing work and activity related to the realisation of the Council's strategic objectives.  All of this endeavour is designed to strengthen the protection of patients and clients and to enhance the efficiency of the organisation.  Promoting the openness and accountability of the UKCC remains central to our work and I hope you will find that the UKCC Handbook 1998-1999 makes an important contribution to this process.

Sue Norman
Chief Executive/Registrar

Protecting the public through professional standards

The UKCC is the regulatory body for nursing, midwifery and health visiting. Our purpose is to establish and improve standards of nursing, midwifery and health visiting care in order to serve and protect the public. Our key tasks are to:

• maintain a register of qualified nurses, midwives and health visitors
• set standards for nursing, midwifery and health visiting education, practice and conduct
• provide advice for nurses, midwives and health visitors on professional standards
• consider allegations of misconduct or unfitness to practise due to ill health.

How to contact the UKCC

The UKCC's telephone lines are open from 8.00 am and many sections are staffed from then until at least 5.00pm. Our main switchboard number is 0171 637 7181 and our main fax number is 0171 436 2924. Direct dial telephone numbers and e-mail addresses include:

The UKCC also has its own website, which contains up to the minute information about the UKCC's business and services and the text of current UKCC publications.  It can be accessed through www.ukcc.org.uk.

A summary history of the UKCC

1979     The Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act creates a new statutory framework for the regulation of the three professions. The pre-existing statutory and training bodies are to be replaced by a new structure involving the UKCC and four National Boards, one in each country.

1983     Direct elections are held to the National Boards. The former bodies are dissolved and the UKCC and the National Boards take over their functions from 1 July. Following the election, the UKCC is reconstituted on 1 November with a membership drawn from those nominated by the National Boards and those appointed directly by the Secretary of State for Health. The UKCC publishes the first edition of the Code of professional conduct.

1984     The UKCC register is established. A revised second edition of the Code of professional conduct is published.

1985     Work begins on Project 2000, a fundamental reform of pre-registration education and training. The project is charged with determining "... the education and training required in preparation for the professional practice of nursing, midwifery and health visiting in relation to the projected health care needs in the 1990s and beyond ... ".

1986     The first editions of the Midwives rules and The midwife's code of practice are published. Periodic registration is introduced.

1988     The first Council term ends and a new Council takes office.

1989     The government approves the UKCC's Project 2000 proposals. Work begins on a major reform of post-registration education and practice.

1992     A new Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act introduces direct elections for 40 of the 60 places on the new Council and centralises all professional conduct procedures at the UKCC. The first direct election is held and the new Council takes office the following year. The third edition of the Code of professional conduct is published along with The scope of professional practice.

1995     Following extensive consultation and government approval, the UKCC's standards for education and practice following registration (PREP) take effect from 1 April.

A summary history of the UKCC

1996     A major review of the UKCC's organisation is completed in order to ensure that its working practices and structures enable it to meet the challenges of the next century.

1997     The 1979 and 1992 acts are consolidated into the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1997.  An election takes place for 40 of the 60 places on the new Council.

1998    A government review of the legislation governing the UKCC and the National Boards begins.  The UKCC publishes its response to the Review Team's consultation document.  A new Council term of office begins.

Further details are available in our annual reports and in an information sheet, UKCC - a brief history, available from the Distribution Department.

UKCC services

We offer a range of free services to registered nurses, midwives and health visitors, to pre-registration students, to health services employers and to the public. These services include:

• access to our team of experienced professional officers, who are qualified in general adult nursing, midwifery, mental health and learning disabilities nursing, paediatric nursing, health visiting and community nursing; this access includes a professional advice service which is available Monday to Friday from 9.00 am until 5.00 pm on 0171 333 6550/6553/6692
• a range of free publications on professional standards, ethics issues, professional conduct and PREP, as well as a quarterly news magazine, Register
• access to a range of events including open days, consultative conferences and Meet the UKCC road shows; Council meetings and meetings of the Professional Conduct Committee are also held in public
• a registration confirmation service for employers on 0171 631 3200, available from Monday to Saturday from 6.30 am until 9.30 pm.

The UKCC's organisation

Alongside the Chief Executive/Registrar's office, the UKCC's executive is organised in five directorates - Business Systems, Personnel and Support Services, Policy Development, Professional Conduct and Standards Promotion. This section of the handbook explains the work of each directorate and gives contact details.

Business Systems

The Business Systems Directorate is responsible for the maintenance and updating of the UKCC register, together with the management of our finances and our information technology systems. Staff deal with applications for admission to the register, changes to the personal details of registrants and the periodic renewal of practitioners' registrations. We also provide a registration confirmation service by which employers and the public can check the qualifications and registered status of nurses, midwives and health visitors.

Our Finance Department controls the day to day running of the UKCC's finances, ensuring that the UKCC gets the best value for money from all its suppliers. The department's key task is processing the registration fees paid by nurses, midwives and health visitors. During 1998-1999, the fee for renewing registration is £36, payable once every three years.  This fee is unchanged since 1992.

Personnel and Support Services

The Personnel and Support Services Directorate is responsible for the operational needs of the UKCC and includes the UKCC's Personnel, House Services, Committee Services, Distribution and Communications Departments. The House Services team manages the UKCC's telephone system. The Distribution Department handles requests for copies of UKCC publications, all of which are available free of charge. A full list of current publications is given on page 15 of this handbook.  The Communications Department handles media and general public enquiries about the work of the UKCC (professional advice is provided through the Standards Promotion Directorate - see page 12). UKCC events are organised by the Communications Department, which is also responsible for producing all UKCC publications and maintaining the UKCC's website.

Policy Development

The Policy Development Directorate is responsible for analysing changes in health and social policy and identifying trends in health and social care delivery and education which will affect professional practice. The directorate leads the UKCC's research work and works closely with the Standards Promotion Directorate in the development and evaluation of the UKCC's standards for professional practice.

Professional Conduct

The Professional Conduct Directorate investigates complaints against registered nurses, midwives and health visitors about professional misconduct or unfitness to practise due to serious ill health. The directorate supports the work of the UKCC's Preliminary Proceedings, Professional Conduct and Health Committees, which are responsible in different ways and at different stages of the process for considering these complaints and taking appropriate action in the public interest. Detailed information about the UKCC's professional conduct and fitness to practise procedures is contained in Complaints about professional conduct.  Information for employers and managers on reporting misconduct and unfitness to practise is provided in two separate booklets.  Examples of some of the issues which feature in our Professional Conduct and Health Committee work are set out in Issues arising from professional conduct complaints.  All of these publications are available from the Distribution Department.

Standards Promotion

The Standards Promotion Directorate develops, monitors, evaluates and markets the UKCC's standards for professional practice.  The directorate includes professional officers with specific responsibility for general adult nursing, mental health and learning disabilities nursing, paediatric nursing, midwifery, health visiting and community nursing and ethics issues. The professional advice service is managed within the directorate. The service aims to provide clear, helpful and accurate professional advice on the UKCC's standards for practice, education and conduct. It is available Monday to Friday from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm and is staffed in conjunction with the specialist professional officers in each of the areas mentioned above.

UKCC Council and committees

The UKCC has a governing Council of 40 elected members and 20 members who are appointed by the Secretary of State for Health. The elected members are representative of all parts of the United Kingdom and the three professions. Registrants in each of the four countries elect seven nurses, two midwives and one health visitor. The Council's President is Alison Norman.

UKCC elections are held every five years. Those candidates who were successful in the 1997 election have now taken their positions on the new Council for the term of office which began in April 1998. The Secretary of State appointments reflect the accountability of the UKCC to Parliament, from where we derive our public protection powers. The appointments are made after the election result is known and are designed to enhance the expertise - professional, managerial and financial - available within the Council membership.

A number of committees and advisory panels support the work of the Council. Their membership comprises Council members and external experts. All are chaired by Council members.

• Nursing and Community Health Care Nursing Committee
  
• Midwifery Committee
  
• Joint Education Committee
  
• Finance Committee
  
• Ethics Advisory Panel
  
• Research Advisory Panel
  
• Management Board
  

A full list of all UKCC Council and committee members, together with further information about the work of the UKCC Council and committees, is available in our annual reports and in Building on success, the UKCC's business plan for 1998-1999. The duties of UKCC Council members are explained in Code of best practice for members. All of these publications are available from the UKCC's Distribution Department.

The UKCC register

The register is at the centre of the UKCC's public protection role. Over 630 000 nurses, midwives and health visitors hold current registration. The names are held on a computer database and each entry includes the practitioner's personal details, educational qualifications and registered status. Practitioners renew their registration every three years and the fee for this is currently £36. This has remained unchanged since 1992.   The UKCC's register is a public record and we provide a free service for employers to check the registered status of nurses, midwives and health visitors whom they may wish to employ. We never release personal details or addresses. The register is divided into 15 parts, as follows:

Part 1     first level nurses trained in general nursing

Part 2     second level nurses trained in general nursing (England and Wales)

Part 3     first level nurses trained in the nursing of persons suffering from mental illness

Part 4     second level nurses trained in the nursing of persons suffering from mental illness (England and Wales)

Part 5     first level nurses trained in the nursing of persons with learning disabilities

Part 6     second level nurses trained in the nursing of persons with learning disabilities (England and Wales)

Part 7     second level nurses (Scotland and Northern Ireland)

Part 8     nurses trained in the nursing of sick children

Part 9     nurses trained in the nursing of persons suffering from fever

Part 10   midwives

Part 11   health visitors

Part 12   first level nurses trained in adult nursing (Project 2000)

Part 13   first level nurses trained in mental health nursing (Project 2000)

Part 14   first level nurses trained in learning disabilities nursing (Project 2000)

Part 15   first level nurses trained in children's nursing (Project 2000)

Selected UKCC publications at February 1999

Clinical supervision for nursing and health visiting April 1996

Some facts and figures about the UKCC

• there are over 630 000 nurses, midwives and health visitors on the UKCC register

• the UKCC handles about 5 000 telephone calls each working day with a record for one day of 8 500

• around 14 000 items of post are dealt with by the UKCC each working day

• the UKCC processes 2 000 changes to the register each working day

• the UKCC handles over 1000 complaints each year from the public, employers and registrants about possible professional misconduct by registered nurses, midwives and health visitors

• it costs just £1 per month to maintain UKCC registration

• all UKCC publications, events and professional advice are free of charge

• the UKCC handles around 1 200 calls to our registration confirmation service from employers of registered nurses, midwives and health visitors each day

• our professional advice service is available for around 5 000 person hours each year and receives up to 300 telephone enquiries each week

• the UKCC handles around 300 separate requests for copies of UKCC publications each day

• the UKCC's total projected income for 1998-1999 is £10 574 320 and our total projected expenditure is £11 100 000

• around 25 000 people attend UKCC events each year

During the past year, the volume of core activity increased substantially as follows:

• admissions to the register from nurses and midwives trained outside the United Kingdom increased by 32%
  
• documents issued by the UKCC to other regulatory authorities outside the United Kingdom to verify registration increased by 12%
  
• Calls to the professional advice service rose by 22%
  
• cases handled by the Professional Conduct Directorate increased by 20%

United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting.
Original text document May 1998

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