Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of regulating the role of maternity nurses within the private childcare sector; and what assessment he has made of the potential risks of such roles continuing to not be subject to professional regulation.

No assessment has been made of the potential merits of regulating the role of maternity nurse. The Government intends to protect the professional title “nurse” through planned reforms to the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s governing legislation. This will ensure that only those who hold registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a nurse, or otherwise meet a specific exemption, can legally call themselves a nurse. A call for evidence, seeking views on how the title “nurse” should be protected, is expected to be published shortly.