Nigerian nurses in UK petition health secretary over exam fraud allegations by NMC

Nigerian nurses in the UK are appealing for justice after the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) accused them of cheating during their competency exams for completing them quicker than usually seen.

Over 100 nurses have petitioned Health Secretary Wes Streeting, describing the NMC’s actions as a “significant injustice” that has led to bans from practising and forced many to take lower-paying roles as care workers.

The issue began after NMC’s CBT provider, Pearson VUE, flagged unusual data relating to tests taken at Yunnik Technologies Test Centre in Ibadan, Nigeria. According to the NMC, suspicions arose because results from the centre were among the fastest they had ever seen at other centres worldwide.

In the letter to the health secretary, the nurses said, “We are concerned that although there are irregularities with the test centre, the action taken by the Nursing and Midwifery Council means an unjust collective punishment of all of us. This means that many of us have lost our jobs, our livelihoods and our reputations.”

After an investigation, Pearson VUE confirmed to the NMC that there was no evidence of system error, cyber-attack or other technical error, though it maintained that the data is indicative of one or more ‘proxy testers’ operating at Yunnik. It said 48 professionals already on the NMC register and 669 applicants to the register were believed “more likely than not” to have fraudulently achieved their scores.

Nurses told the Guardian they had learned to complete online tests quickly due to frequent power outages in Nigeria which could make them lose exam progress. They retook the tests in the UK and completed them in similar times, claiming they had no need to cheat as the tests were simple.

The allegations has affected more than 500 Nigerian nurses on the register, many of whom had left stable lives in Nigeria, taking loans and selling assets to pursue nursing careers in the UK.

“I face bullying, insults, shame, disgrace in my office and ward,” said one of the affected nurses. “My career has been on hold for more than 13 months, even after passing the new test. People treat me as a fraud and without respect. It has been hell on earth.”

Some of the nurses say they were not informed of the issue by the NMC until after they arrived in the UK to take up job offers as nurses. Some nurses are caught in the mess with their partners who had resigned from their jobs in Nigeria to relocate with them to the UK. Now, over a year later, they remain stuck.

“This feels like the end of my world because I have had to give up on all my dreams I worked so hard to achieve to get a better life for myself and my family. I am now a miserable person with a broken spirit and I am about to have the word ‘criminal’ added to my name. My dream of being an international nurse able to work anywhere in the world has been shattered, said one of the nurses who chose to remain anonymous.

Many who lodged an appeal months ago and are still waiting to hear when it will be resolved. A document sent to one of them by the NMC said, “Whilst I note that you completed the new test in a relatively quick time, I’m still not satisfied this explains how you could have achieved the pass in your original test in such a short time.”

Andrea Sutcliffe, the NMC chief executive and registrar, addressing the situation said, “We understand this continues to be a distressing time for people facing uncertainty about their application or place on our register. We’re committed to managing these concerns in the safest and fairest way we can. It’s been essential to look carefully at all the data and other information presented to us before deciding on the right and proportionate approach for everyone.”

The controversy arises amid a significant rise in Nigerian-trained nurses joining the UK workforce, with over 12,000 registered in the first half of 2023 compared to 1,670 in the same period last year, as the NMC reported.

“Internationally educated nurses and midwives make an incredibly important contribution in our health and social care system. Our paramount concern remains to protect the public by maintaining the integrity of the register for nursing and midwifery professionals practising in the UK. That’s why we’ve responded to this situation with such painstaking care and consideration.”

The NMC is yet to give an update on the situation but continues to reject Nigerian nurses and hundreds of applicants it believes obtained their test results fraudulently. Meanwhile, nurses anticipate a response from the Health Secretary which could turn the tides in their favour.