Professional misconduct by nurses

Between 1986 and 1992, incidents of professional misconduct by nurses in the UK doubled from 291 to 586. Such malpractice included sexual assaults, violent attacks and ill-treatment of patients, particularly in cases of the vulnerable: children, elderly, mentally handicapped and mentally ill. Although only one in ten of the UK's registered nurses is a man, most complaints involved male nurses. Of 650 nurses accused of misconduct in 1992, only about half appeared before a disciplinary tribunal, and half again were struck of the register. The majority of appeals for restoration to the register have been granted in recent years.