Professional regulation in nursing. Part 1: an introduction

The preceding articles in this series have addressed the issues that surround the legal principle of owing a duty of care to people. The articles discussed the underlying concept of the application of 'standards' to a nurse's duty to people. Nurses owe to their patients and clients a duty that is underpinned not only by law (or legal principles) but also by reference to a more overtly political understanding. The purpose of this cluster of articles is try to identify how the Government has achieved its purpose of increasing the protection of the public (its underlying rationale for the changes brought to the health care professions). It is intended to approach this subject in a two-fold way: first, a descriptive perusal of government literature will be undertaken; second, in an chronological way, the responses from the health profession's regulatory bodies will be elucidated by way of analysis.