The European Qualifications (Health and Social Care Professions) Regulations 2007

Insertion of Schedule 2A U.K.

171.  After Schedule 2 insert—

Article 39

“SCHEDULE 2A U.K. VISITING MIDWIVES, AND CERTAIN VISITING NURSES, FROM RELEVANT EUROPEAN STATES

Application and interpretation

1.   This Schedule applies to an exempt person—

(a) who is lawfully established as a nurse in a relevant European State other than the United Kingdom; or

(b) who is lawfully established as a midwife in a relevant European State other than the United Kingdom.

2.   In this Schedule—

(a) a “visiting practitioner” means an exempt person to whom this Schedule applies;

(b) the “home State”, in relation to a visiting practitioner, means the relevant European State in which the practitioner is lawfully established as a nurse or midwife;

(c) a reference to the provision of occasional nursing services is a reference to the provision, in the United Kingdom, of nursing services—

(i) of a kind which are provided, in the United Kingdom, by nurses whose training satisfies the requirements of article 31 of the Directive (training of nurses responsible for general care), and

(ii) on a temporary and occasional basis; and

(d) a reference to the provision of occasional midwifery services is a reference to the provision of midwifery services in the United Kingdom on a temporary and occasional basis.

Registration in respect of provision of occasional nursing services or occasional midwifery services

3.— (1) A visiting practitioner is entitled to be registered in the appropriate part of the register if the practitioner is entitled under paragraph 4 or 7 to provide occasional nursing services or occasional midwifery services; and the Registrar shall give effect to the entitlement.

(2) A visiting practitioner who is entitled under sub-paragraph (1) to be registered, but who is not registered in the appropriate part of the register, shall be treated as registered in that part.

(3) Sub-paragraph (4) applies where a person's entitlement under sub-paragraph (1) to be registered ceases because, by reason of the operation of paragraph 8(1), (2) or (5), the person ceases to be entitled under this Schedule to provide occasional nursing services or occasional midwifery services.

(4) If the person's name is registered, the Registrar may remove the person's name from the register.

(5) Sub-paragraphs (1) to (4) are not to be taken to prejudice the application, in relation to persons registered on the basis of entitlement under sub-paragraph (1), of any other provision of this Order under which the name of a registered nurse or midwife may be removed from the register or under which the registration of a registered nurse or midwife may be suspended.

Entitlement to provide occasional nursing services or occasional midwifery services: first year

4.   A visiting practitioner is entitled to provide occasional nursing services or occasional midwifery services if—

(a) the practitioner has complied with the requirements of paragraph 5, and

(b) where the practitioner's case falls within regulation 3(9)(a), (c), (d) or (e) of the General Systems Regulations, the provision by the practitioner of occasional nursing services or occasional midwifery services is in accordance with regulations 14 to 16 of those Regulations (the practitioner having, in particular, successfully completed any adaptation period, or passed any aptitude test, that the practitioner may be required to undertake pursuant to Part 2 of those Regulations),

but paragraph 8 contains provision about the duration of entitlement under this paragraph.

First provision of services: required documents

5.— (1) A visiting practitioner who proposes to provide occasional nursing services or occasional midwifery services for the first time must, before providing any such services, send or produce to the Registrar the required documents.

(2) The required documents are—

(a) a written declaration that states the practitioner's wish to provide occasional nursing services or occasional midwifery services;

(b) if the practitioner is a national of a relevant European State, proof of nationality;

(c) if the practitioner is not a national of a relevant European State, proof of the Community right by virtue of which the practitioner is an exempt person;

(d) evidence of qualifications in nursing or midwifery (see paragraph 6); and

(e) a certificate (or certificates) issued by a competent authority in the practitioner's home State confirming—

(i) that the practitioner is lawfully established as a nurse or midwife in that State, and

(ii) that the practitioner is not prohibited (whether on a permanent or temporary basis) from practising as a nurse or midwife there.

(3) A declaration under sub-paragraph (2)(a) may be supplied by any means.

6.— (1) Subject to sub-paragraph (3), the evidence referred to in paragraph 5(2)(d) is evidence of the European-recognised qualifications which entitle the visiting practitioner to provide, in the practitioner's home State, the nursing or midwifery services that the practitioner proposes to provide in the United Kingdom on a temporary and occasional basis.

(2) This sub-paragraph applies to a visiting practitioner whose case falls within regulation 3(9)(a), (c), (d) or (e) of the General Systems Regulations (with the result that the practitioner is not entitled to provide occasional nursing services or occasional midwifery services unless their provision by the practitioner is in accordance with regulations 14 to 16 of those Regulations).

(3) If sub-paragraph (2) applies to a visiting practitioner, the evidence referred to in paragraph 5(2)(d) of the practitioner's qualifications in nursing or midwifery is evidence of the qualifications which entitle the practitioner to practise as a nurse or midwife in his home State.

(4) In this paragraph, “European-recognised qualifications” means qualifications which relevant European States are required by the Directive to recognise.

Entitlement to provide occasional nursing services or occasional midwifery services after first year: renewals

7.— (1) Sub-paragraph (2) applies where the Registrar receives the required renewal documents from a visiting practitioner who is entitled under this Schedule to provide occasional nursing services or occasional midwifery services.

(2) The visiting practitioner is entitled to continue to provide occasional nursing services or occasional midwifery services, but paragraph 8 contains provision about the duration of entitlement continued under this sub-paragraph.

(3) Sub-paragraph (4) applies where the Registrar receives the required renewal documents from a visiting practitioner—

(a) who is not entitled under this Schedule to provide occasional nursing services or occasional midwifery services;

(b) who has been previously entitled under this Schedule to provide occasional nursing services or occasional midwifery services; and

(c) whose registration in the register is not suspended.

(4) The visiting practitioner is once again entitled to provide occasional nursing services or occasional midwifery services but, in a case where the practitioner's name is not in the register as a result of removal otherwise than under paragraph 3(4), only if the Registrar decides, after having regard (in particular) to the fact of that removal and the reasons for it, that the entitlement should be renewed. Paragraph 8 contains provision about the duration of entitlement under this sub-paragraph.

(5) In relation to a visiting practitioner “the required renewal documents” are—

(a) a renewal declaration; and

(b) each evidence of change document (if any).

(6) In this paragraph “renewal declaration”, in relation to a visiting practitioner, means a written declaration that states the practitioner's wish to provide occasional nursing services or occasional midwifery services in a further year.

(7) Where a document—

(a) is, in relation to a visiting practitioner, one of the required documents for the purposes of paragraph 5,

(b) is not a declaration under paragraph 5(2)(a), and

(c) substantiates a matter as respects which there has been a material change since the practitioner last (whether under paragraph 5 or this paragraph) supplied the then-current version of the document to the registrar,

the version of the document current when under this paragraph the practitioner supplies a renewal declaration to the registrar is an “evidence of change document” for the purposes of sub-paragraph (5)(b).

(8) A renewal declaration supplied under this paragraph may be supplied by any means.

Duration of entitlement to provide occasional nursing services or occasional midwifery services

8.— (1) Unless an entitlement under paragraph 4 or 7(4) is continued (or further continued) by paragraph 7(2), the entitlement ceases at the end of the year that begins with the end of the day on which the Registrar received the documents whose receipt gave rise to the entitlement.

(2) Where an entitlement under paragraph 4 or 7(4) is continued (or further continued) by paragraph 7(2), the entitlement is extended so as to cease at the end of the year that begins with the end of the relevant day.

(3) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (2)—

(a) if the day on which the Registrar receives the documents whose receipt gives rise to the continuation (or further continuation) is an anniversary of the start day, “the relevant day” means the day on which the Registrar receives those documents;

(b) otherwise, “the relevant day” means the anniversary of the start day that is the first such anniversary to occur after the Registrar receives the documents whose receipt gives rise to the continuation (or further continuation).

(4) In sub-paragraph (3) “the start day”, in relation to an entitlement under paragraph 4 or 7(4), means the day on which the Registrar receives the documents whose receipt gives rise to the entitlement.

(5) An entitlement under this Schedule to provide occasional nursing services or occasional midwifery services ceases if—

(a) the visiting practitioner concerned becomes established as a nurse or as a midwife in the United Kingdom; or

(b) a disqualifying decision is made against the visiting practitioner concerned.

(6) In sub-paragraph (5) “disqualifying decision”, in relation to a visiting practitioner, means a decision made by a competent or judicial authority in the practitioner's home State that has the effect that the practitioner—

(a) ceases in that State to be registered or otherwise officially recognised as a nurse or midwife; or

(b) is prohibited (whether on a permanent or temporary basis) from practising as a nurse or midwife in that State.

(7) If in the case of a visiting practitioner—

(a) the practitioner's registration in the register is suspended or the practitioner's name is removed from the register, and

(b) immediately before the time when the suspension or (as the case may be) removal takes effect, the practitioner is entitled under this Schedule to provide occasional nursing services or occasional midwifery services,

that entitlement ceases at that time.

Conditions

9.— (1) Paragraph (2) applies if—

(a) the establishment of a visiting practitioner in the practitioner's home State is subject to a condition relating to the practitioner's practice as a nurse or midwife;

(b) the practitioner's name is registered in the appropriate part of the register; and

(c) for any of the purposes of this Order it falls to be decided whether the practitioner's fitness to practise is or may be impaired on the ground of misconduct.

(2) The matters that may be counted as misconduct include (in particular) any act or omission by the visiting practitioner during the course of the provision by the practitioner of occasional nursing services or occasional midwifery services that is, or would be if the condition applied in relation to practice as a nurse or midwife outside the practitioner's home State, a breach of the condition.

(3) In paragraphs (1) and (2) “condition” includes limitation.”.