Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020

14

Special measures registration having regard to Covid-19

14. The Nurses and Midwives Act 2011 is amended by the insertion of the following section after section 107:

“108. (1) A previous registrant may make an application to the Board to be registered in the register of nurses and midwives pursuant to this section.

(2) Subject to subsections (3) to (7), the provisions of this Act shall, with all necessary modifications, apply to—

(a) a section 108 registration as they apply to a registration in the register of nurses and midwives effected by another section of this Act, and

(b) a section 108 registrant as they apply to a registered nurse or registered midwife, as appropriate, who is not a section 108 registrant.

(3) No fee shall be charged for, or relating to—

(a) a section 108 application, or

(b) a section 108 registration or the retention of such registration.

(4) Where a previous registrant’s name is entered in the register of nurses and midwives pursuant to a section 108 registration, the Board shall enter in that register, or cause to be entered in that register, the term ‘(section 108 registration)’ immediately after the name to indicate that his or her registration arises from the operation of this section.

(5) (a) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a previous registrant’s name from being entered in the register of nurses and midwives pursuant to the operation of another section of this Act, whether or not his or her name is already entered in that register pursuant to a section 108 registration.

(b) Where a previous registrant’s name is entered in the register of nurses and midwives pursuant to the operation of this Act (other than this section) when his or her name is already entered in that register pursuant to a section 108 registration, the Board shall remove from that register, or cause to be removed from that register, the latter entry at the same time as the first-mentioned entry is made.

(c) The refusal of a section 108 registration for a previous registrant shall not prevent that registrant from making an application under another section of this Act to be registered in the register of nurses and midwives.

(6) (a) Subject to subsection (7), each section 108 registration that is still in force on the 31st day of July 2020, shall, on and after that date, cease to have effect.

(b) The Board shall remove from the register of nurses and midwives, or cause to be removed from that register, on the date referred to in paragraph (a), or as soon as is practicable thereafter, each name that was entered in that register pursuant to a section 108 registration.

(7) (a) The Minister may, by order, specify a different date for the purposes of subsection (6) (including a different date for a previous different date specified in an order made under this paragraph), and if the Minister so specifies, that subsection shall be construed, with all necessary modifications, to take account of that first-mentioned date.

(b) Section 3(3) shall, with all necessary modifications, apply to an order made under paragraph (a) as that section applies to a regulation made under this Act.

(8) In this section—

‘previous registrant’ means a former registered nurse or former registered midwife, as appropriate, whose name was removed from the register of nurses and midwives pursuant to section 50 or 77;

‘section 108 application’ means an application under subsection (1);

‘section 108 registrant’ means a registered nurse or registered midwife, as appropriate, who is such pursuant to—

(a) the Board’s determination of a section 108 application, or

(b) a decision (howsoever called) of the Court arising from the Board’s determination of a section 108 application;

‘section 108 registration’ means registration in the register of nurses and midwives pursuant to—

(a) the Board’s determination of a section 108 application, or

(b) a decision (howsoever called) of the Court arising from the Board’s determination of a section 108 application.”.