From Nursing Standard, four days ago, the above and:

Hundreds of nurses are set to have their registrations reviewed after the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) failed to follow due process for declaring health conditions and criminal convictions for 12 years. 

A member of staff raised concerns about an historical failure to consistently refer declarations of health issues and criminal records to an assistant registrar, which led to an initial review of more than 18,000 registrants. That review determined that no further action was required in 17,639 cases.

https://rcni.com/nursing-standard/newsroom/news/hundreds-of-nurses-to-have-nmc-registration-info-reassessed-after-astounding-failure-222771?utm_campaign=WEEKLY%20BRIEFING%2001.06.26%20-%20REG&utm_content=ZONE%201%20LINK%201%20NEWS%20Hundreds%20of%20nurses%20to%20have%20NMC%20registration%20info%20reassessed%20after%20%27astounding%20fai&utm_term=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Adestra&check_logged_in=1

Might unique NHS Scotland regulations practices and procedures make this less likely even non-existent, in Scotland?

Yes, Scotland’s unique requirements — particularly the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme managed by Disclosure Scotland — add extra layers of safeguarding that could make undetected serious cases less likely (or shorter-lived) compared to reliance on NMC processes alone. https://www.rcn.org.uk/Get-Help/RCN-advice/disclosure-and-barring-service

NMC Role (UK-Wide)The NMC handles registration and revalidation across the entire UK, including the “health and character” declarations that failed in this case. This administrative/process error affected applicants/renewals UK-wide, so Scotland is not exempt from the initial oversight.

Scotland-Specific Additional Safeguards

NHS Scotland (and other employers) rely on NMC registration but also require:

• PVG Scheme membership (Protecting Vulnerable Groups) for nurses/midwives in regulated roles involving contact with children or protected adults. This is a legal requirement in Scotland and involves ongoing monitoring. mygov.scot
• Disclosure Scotland checks (Level 2 or PVG scheme records), which provide criminal record information (convictions, cautions, and sometimes other relevant police info). These are employer-driven and often required at recruitment, with updates recommended for new posts. workforce.nhs.scot

Key differences that add protection:

• Continuous monitoring under PVG: Disclosure Scotland notifies employers of new relevant information, unlike a one-off NMC declaration. gov.scot
• Employer risk assessments: NHS Scotland boards have policies for reviewing disclosures, discussing convictions, and deciding suitability (with options for interim restrictions or removal from regulated work). A barred individual cannot legally work in regulated roles. rcn.org.uk
• Separate barring/listing: Disclosure Scotland makes its own suitability decisions for vulnerable groups work, which can operate independently of NMC processes. nmc.org.uk

These checks act as a backstop. Even if the NMC missed escalating a declaration, a robust Disclosure Scotland/PVG check at employment (or renewal of post) could flag issues, trigger employer review, and lead to restrictions or referral back to the NMC. Scotland’s system is more integrated with ongoing criminal record updates than in some other UK nations.