Coronavirus Act 2020

Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001

1 (1) The Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001 (S.I. 2002/253) has effect as if it were subject to the following modifications.

(2) The Order has effect as if after article 9 there were inserted—

“9A Temporary registration in emergencies involving loss of human life or human illness etc

(1) The Registrar may register a person as a registered nurse, midwife or nursing associate, or the persons comprising a specified group of persons as registered nurses, midwives or nursing associates, if—

(a) the Secretary of State has advised the Registrar that an emergency has occurred, is occurring or is about to occur and that the Registrar should consider acting under this article, and

(b) the Registrar considers that the emergency registration requirement is met in relation to the person or group of persons.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1)(b) the emergency registration requirement is met—

(a) in relation to a person, if the Registrar considers that the person is a fit, proper and suitably experienced person to be registered as a nurse, midwife or nursing associate with regard to the emergency;

(b) in relation to a group of persons, if the Registrar considers that the group is comprised of persons who are of a type who may reasonably be considered fit, proper and suitably experienced persons to be registered as nurses, midwives or nursing associates with regard to the emergency.

(3) The Registrar may register all of the persons comprising a specified group of persons without first identifying each person in the group.

(4) The Registrar may include an annotation in the register denoting that a person has been registered under this regulation.

(5) The registration of a person under this article has effect subject to any conditions imposed by the Registrar; and the Registrar may at any time vary or revoke such a condition or add new conditions.

(6) Where a person is registered under this article as a member of a specified group, the person’s registration may (but need not) be subject to the same conditions as the registration of other members of the group.

(7) A person’s registration under this article ceases to have effect if revoked by the Registrar; and the Registrar—

(a) must revoke the registration if the Secretary of State advises the Registrar that the circumstances that led the Secretary of State to give the advice referred to in paragraph (1)(a) no longer exist;

(b) may at any time revoke the registration for any other reason, including where the Registrar suspects that the person’s fitness to practise may be impaired.

(8) A person’s registration as a member of a specified group may be revoked—

(a) without the registration of the other members of the group being revoked, or

(b) as a result of a decision to revoke the registration of all the members of the group.

(9) Rules under article 7 may not provide for fees to be charged in respect of a person’s registration under this article.

(10) The following provisions of this Order do not apply to persons registered under this article—

• articles 5A, 9, 10, 12 and 13 (provisions relating to registration);

• articles 15 to 19 (provisions relating to education and training);

• Part 5 (fitness to practise), other than articles 21, 22(10) and 25(1) and (3) to (6).

(11) If a person breaches a condition to which the person’s registration under this article is subject, anything done by the person in breach of the condition is to be treated as not done by a registered nurse, midwife or nursing associate (as the case may be).

(12) In this article “emergency” means an emergency of the kind described in section 19(1)(a) of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, read with subsection (2)(a) and (b) of that section.”

(3) Article 25(1) (power of Nursing and Midwifery Council to require disclosure of information) has effect as if it enabled requirements to be imposed for the purpose of assisting the Registrar in carrying out functions in respect of identifying any person registered by virtue of article 9A(2)(b) (emergency registration of a group of persons).

(4) Article 37 (appeals against Registrar’s decisions) has effect as if after paragraph (2B) there were inserted—

“(2C) No appeal lies to the Council where the Registrar—

(a) has refused to register a person under article 9A, or

(b) has revoked a person’s registration under that article.”