Protecting the Public? An Analysis of Professional Regulation —Comparing Outcomes in Fitness to Practice Proceedings for Social Workers, Nurses and Doctors

This article examines the publicly av ailable data on fitness to practice cases from UK regulatory bodies relating to the professions of social workers, nurses, midwives and doctors. Examining nearly 1,000 cases, the authors run a statistical analysis of the data to establish whether any differences are found amongst and between these p rofessional groupings. We find there are several areas where significant differences arise, namely gender, attendance and representation. Most of these regulatory bodies are, in turn, regulated in the UK by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA), and the article concludes by suggesting ways forw ard for the PSA in addressing or further examining apparent inequalities. The analysis is placed within a wide range of literature, with an emphasis on the international transferability of the approach to professional regulation.
Source: British Journal of Social Work - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research