The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has pledged to improve the workplace culture for its staff in a new transformation plan.
NMC’s three-year plan follows a review last year that said the charity had been dogged by “claims of bullying, racism, incompetence and a dysfunctional workplace culture that fails patients and families” for over a decade.
The review came after the Charity Commission opened a compliance case into NMC and its previously appointed interim chief executive Dawn Brodrick resigned before taking up her post.
Under a new interim CEO Paul Rees, NMC has now committed to improve its response to bullying accusations, hold managers to account and embed equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) principles across the charity.
Tracking pay gaps
NMC pledged to create a workplace culture where all staff feel “safe to voice their opinions and concerns respectfully without fear of repercussions”.
It said it would continue to conduct staff surveys and aimed to see improved responses related to discrimination, action taken against misconduct and freedom of expression.
The charity said it also hoped to see improved staff perceptions of whether it is prioritising EDI as part of its aim to create a genuinely inclusive workplace where equality and diversity are embedded in every practice.
It also pledged to track gender and ethnicity pay gaps as well as promotion rates for women and Black, Asian and ethnic minority staff.
NMC said it would hold managers to account “for delivering the new vision” and that it aimed to foster “a strong leadership culture that respectfully oversees performance management and drives organisational success”.
‘Strong anti-racist ethos’
Rees said: “When I joined the NMC in January, I committed to delivering a clear vision and plan in March that would create a positive, empowering and inclusive culture for everyone.
“I’m delighted that we’re now taking this plan forward, underpinned by a strong anti-racist ethos and a commitment to improve the regulatory experience for the public and nursing and midwifery professionals.
“I’m grateful to the hundreds of NMC staff who attended engagement events and shared their views to help shape this plan. This feedback is vital to understanding how we can roll out meaningful change and deliver regulatory processes that are faster, fairer and more effective.
“The culture transformation plan will be pivotal to successfully delivering our wider priorities as we work to win back the confidence of the public, nursing and midwifery professionals, stakeholders and employees.”
Meanwhile, a Charity Commission spokesperson said: “We have an ongoing compliance case into the Nursing and Midwifery Council and continue to monitor the steps being taken by the trustees to address concerns that have been raised about the charity.”
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