On the subject of appeals (I posted about High Court appeals earlier today), a quick update on the post I made in December, about a client who had been both barred by the DBS and suspended (on an interim basis) by the NMC.

The nurse concerned succeeded in having her case before the NMC dismissed with no case to answer. She was however still unable to work as a nurse or indeed anywhere in the caring professions, because the DBS had barred her due to the incident in question.

We had appealed the DBS decision at the Upper Tribunal and were waiting for a hearing. The appeal was significantly strengthened by the NMC decision, and as a result the lawyers for the DBS conceded the appeal - meaning my client is now free from all impediments and has resumed her work as a nurse!

If you or someone you know has been barred by the DBS or suspended by the NMC or other regulator, don’t despair - appeals and reviews are there for a reason and you can make use of them to help get yourself back to work.