§ Mr. Gardiner:To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the role health visitor members will have on the Nursing and Midwifery Council if there is not (a) a statutory profession of health visiting and (b) a register of health visitors. [140629]
§ Mr. Hutton:Health visitors will be included in the third part of the Nursing and Midwifery Council register, which covers specialist community and public health nurses. The Nursing and Midwifery Order 2002, requires that each part of the register must have an equal number of registrant members on the Council. Their role will be to play a full part in the regulation of nurses and midwives, including health visitors.
768W
§ Mr. Gardiner:To ask the Secretary of State for Health who will be able to use the title health visitor after April 2004. [140466]
§ Mr. Hutton:When the new register opens in April 2004, the designated titles of the parts of the new register will be the protected titles. The Nursing and Midwifery Council does not propose to have a part of the new register with the designated title of health visitor. However, public protection will be assured because anyone proposing to work in a health visiting role must be registered on the specialist community public health nurse part of the register.
§ Mr. Gardiner:To ask the Secretary of State for Health what risk assessment was undertaken by the Nursing and Midwifery Council with respect to public risk before removing statutory protection from the title registered health visitor. [140632]
§ Mr. Hutton:The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has undertaken a series of public consultations on its proposals made under the Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001, including the structure and titles of the parts of the new register.
The Order recognised the expanding role of specialists in community and public health nursing, which includes health visiting. The NMC is proposing protected titles and parts of the register which reflect that expanding role.