The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) will write to more than 9500 nurses and midwives north of the border, whose status on its professional register has lapsed within the past four years, to ask them if they will apply for readmission.
The organisation hopes the move will address staffing shortages that may arise if swine flu worsens. That in turn could lead to greater numbers of patients being seen at GP practices and hospitals, and more members of staff staying off sick with the virus.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon welcomed the announcement. She said: “I am pleased the NMC is taking this action in preparation for any worsening of the pandemic.
“The Scottish Government revised and reissued central guidance for NHS Scotland boards on the workforce implications of pandemic flu in August this year.
“It provides NHS boards with guidance on a range of related issues such as the potential deployment of staff from other sources, including retired and former staff.
“NHS boards have been working in line with that guidance, and good progress is being made in developing plans. People should be reassured that the NHS in Scotland and its partner agencies are continuing to do everything they can to minimise the impact of this outbreak.”
All nurses and midwives must be registered with the NMC to be eligible to work in the UK.
A total of 90,000 former health workers across the UK will be contacted as part of the strategy to deal with the swine flu pandemic. That number includes 7695 nurses, 148 midwives and 1686 dual-qualified nurses and midwives in Scotland.
People who have worked as a midwife or nurse for a minimum of 750 hours in the previous five years, and have carried out 35 hours of continuing professional development in the past three, will be able to submit an application, which the NMC said it would process within two working days. There is a £76 cost for readmission, but staff would be registered for three years if their application proved successful.
The NMC will also encourage employers to advise it if they want a former member of staff to return to work for them in the event of a significant increase in demand on services. But it added that nurses or midwives who were suspended or subject to sanctions imposed by fitness-to-practise hearings would not be eligible to re-register.
Kathy George, NMC chief executive and registrar, said: “The NMC is already working to support services to address any potential staffing shortages which may occur in the event of a surge in the swine flu pandemic.
“We are doing this by writing to over 90,000 nurses and midwives whose registration has lapsed within the last four years and encouraging them to consider applying for readmission to the register.”
Ms Sturgeon has said the number of intensive care beds would be doubled to deal with a winter surge in swine flu, but that routine planned surgery such as hip replacements might be postponed if the virus takes hold.
Latest figures show that the numbers consulting GPs because of flu symptoms rose to almost 44 per 100,000 the week before last, up from just over 40 the previous week. The best estimate is that around 3300 people contracted the H1N1 virus in one week.
Labour health spokesman Dr Richard Simpson MSP said: “It is absolutely vital that we use the time available now to prepare for a potential second wave of flu cases. In a worst-case scenario, GPs could be dealing with over 5000 extra cases per week.
“I am pleased the NMC is writing to nurses and midwives whose registration has recently lapsed.”
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