Save Face supports MP’s drive to protect ‘nurse’ title

At Save Face, we want to add our voice and support to a growing cohort endorsing a proposal for legislative changes to protect the ‘nurse’ title. A freedom of information request by Nursing Standard found that across 93% of all NHS trusts, there were more than 8,000 people with the term “nurse” in their job title who had no registered nursing qualifications. Even those struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register for serious misconduct or those with a criminal conviction can continue calling themselves a nurse.[i]

Unfortunately, no real protection exists for many professional titles regularly used within the medical sector – nurse, doctor, consultant, cosmetic surgeon, dermatologist, or skin doctor are all fair game for anyone - leading to misrepresentation, confusion, and a lack of public safety.

Nurses registered with the NMC currently rely on the protection of the title ‘registered nurse’; however, a Bill brought before Parliament in February 2025 seeks to revise and reinforce protection for the singular title ‘nurse’ to prevent misuse.

Following widespread advocacy, including the #ProtectNurse campaign[ii], efforts by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), and the Unite and Unison Health unions, Labour MP for Brent East, Dawn Butler introduced the Nurse (Use of Title) Bill to the UK Parliament. She did so under the House of Commons 10-minute rule that allows backbenchers to make a case for introducing a bill that could ultimately become law.

The bill proposes a simplistic achievement of the goal via an amendment to the Professional Qualifications Act 2022 - adding ‘nurse’ to the ‘registered nurse’ title already regulated, thus avoiding regulatory reform. This approach would also mean that existing and protected titles under separate professional, statutory and regulatory bodies, such as ‘veterinary nurse’ and ‘dental nurse’ remain protected and unaffected. The bill was accepted for its second reading at the end of March but failed to be heard and has been postponed until 20^th June.

Speaking to Parliament, Ms Butler noted, “My bill is about protecting the public and respecting the training, qualifications and experience of registered nurses. I am sure it will come as a shock to many people…that anyone can call themselves a nurse”.

RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor, Nicola Ranger responded, "…The changes in this bill will provide better legal protections for nursing. This includes preventing those who have lost the right to be called nurses from legally continuing to do so.”[iii]

Many have now called for a wider debate on other professional titles often abused within healthcare.

‘Dentist’ is legally protected by The Dental Act 1984, and ‘chemist’ or ‘pharmacist’ by The Medicines Act 1968. Other Acts of Parliament protect allied healthcare professional titles including ‘chiropractor’, ‘optician’ and ‘ophthalmologist’; whilst ‘paramedic’, ‘operating department practitioner’, ‘physiotherapist’, ‘radiographer’, ‘podiatrist’, and others are legally protected by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).[iv] Yet, like ‘nurse’, the title of ‘doctor’ is not protected by law. The General Medical Council (GMC) collectively refers to its registrants as ‘medical professionals’, which is also not a protected title, nor defined in law.[v]

The Medicines Act 1968 prohibits anyone from giving the impression that they are registered with the GMC with a licence to practise, but only protects professional titles including, “… physician, doctor of medicine, licentiate in medicine and surgery, bachelor of medicine, surgeon, general practitioner or apothecary.”

A retired or former GMC-registered doctor may cease active medical practice, relinquish their licence to practise and GMC registration but continue to call themselves a doctor, using the prefix ‘Dr’, thanks to their underlying medical qualification. Similarly, a medical professional struck off the GMC register following a fitness-to-practise hearing will find nothing to stop them from practising within the largely unregulated medical aesthetic sector, nor calling themselves a doctor – they simply must not imply that they are GMC-registered. The omission of protection for the title of ‘doctor’ or even ‘registered doctor’ affects patient safety and leaves the landscape open to misrepresentation from unscrupulous practitioners. Of course, the difficulty in amending legislation lies in the right of those with an academic doctorate to refer to themselves as doctors.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) take a tough stance on those who imply they hold a general medical qualification, if they do not, by referring to themselves as a ‘doctor’ or using the prefix ‘Dr’, especially when clarity is needed with advertisers making health-related claims. This also applies to dentists permitted to use the courtesy title ‘Dr’ by their regulator, the General Dental Council (GDC). The ASA advise avoiding its use in advertising or making it clear that the individual is GDC-registered and does not hold a general medical qualification.[vi] Those with a doctorate should similarly only use the title ‘Dr’ jointly with the suffix ‘PhD’.

Thankfully, reform has also been hinted at for medical professional titles following a debate on protected titles during a legislature discussion for the recently introduced roles of physician associates and anaesthetic associates. Responding to concerns about protected titles, the House of Lords was told by Conservative peer, Lord Markham, “…we need to look at an overhaul of titles, full stop…all of this will be part of a full GMC consultation process over the next couple of years”.[vii]

Save Face, Clinical Director, Emma Davies is pragmatic about the future, “As a registered nurse and independent prescriber practising medical aesthetics, I know first-hand the frustration of seeing the blatant misrepresentation and abuse of the title ‘nurse’, regularly used to mislead the public, particularly on social media. At Save Face, our number one driver is patient safety, I am hopeful that the government will not push this into the long grass and will indeed support the broader overhaul and protection of titles within medicine and aesthetic medicine, starting with nurse, for the benefit of all.”

We will be keeping our eyes peeled for more news.

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