Take care of your registration

I've just got back from the NMC after an appeal hearing.  My client was refused readmission to the register almost a year ago, when he discovered that he had been practising unregistered for 3 months. As well as the registration issue, my client's ex-employer had also referred him to the NMC for using an inappropriate restraint on a difficult patient. Over two days, a panel heard my client's appeal.  It's unusual for these hearings to take two days, but the NMC opposed the appeal and called three witnesses to support their case.  This afternoon the panel told us that the restraint used by my client was reasonable and proportionate, that the registration issue was a genuine error and that my client's appeal succeeded. Hopefully I will look on the register tomorrow morning to see his name restored.

But the issue of registration is one that I am seeing a lot at the moment.  I have another readmission appeal at the beginning of December, and I have just this week had an enquiry from a company whose employee has been working for months without valid registration.

The causes of these lapses in registration appear to be many, but are in fact one - registrants are not making sure that they are registered at all times.  It is your personal responsibility (not that of your employer, the HR department or your regulator) to ensure you are continually registered.

Please take care of your registration.  You'll save yourself the months of heartache, stress and financial woe that go with even a successful readmission appeal.  Remember prevention is better than cure!