A report has said there is bullying, racism and incompetence at the UK nurse regulator, which is responsible for ensuring NHS nurses and midwives are safe to have around patients.

The review highlighted a dangerously toxic culture within the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which oversees and regulates hundreds of thousands of nurses and midwives.

It said good nurses find themselves investigated for years over minor issues, while some bad ones escape sanction.

Meanwhile, some NMC staff feel stressed, frustrated and unsupported.

The NMC said it was “profoundly sorry” and fully accepted the recommendations for urgent change.

Former chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal and Rise Associates were commissioned to independently look at its culture.

This was after a whistleblower claimed it was failing to tackle serious sexual, physical and racial abuse.

Everything documented by the whistleblower was corroborated.

Many of the 1,000+ current and former NMC colleagues and over 200 fitness-to-practice panel members had similar experiences in recent years.

According to the review, dysfunction was found across “virtually every level” of the NMC.

It heard some staff were on antidepressants, with their hair falling out and unable to sleep because of bullying and bad management.

The report says many were content but far too many were struggling.

It stated: “They were angry, frustrated and exhausted.

“We saw staff break down in tears as they recounted their frustrations over safeguarding decisions that put the public at risk.”

The NMC has a huge backlog, with nearly 6,000 fitness-to-practise cases yet to be reviewed.

This means some nurses, patients and families wait years for a decision.

And in the past year, six nurses have taken their own lives while under investigation by the NMC.

The review also highlighted cases that were “dropped” because alleged incidents occurred outside of the workplace, with one NMC lawyer telling the review team:

“Racism cases are dropped in screening because it’s outside of the workplace and the view is, and I’m obviously paraphrasing, that ‘people are free to be racist in their own time’ because they are not involving patients.”

NMC Chair Sir David Warren said:

“This is a profoundly distressing report to read.”

“First and foremost, I express my condolences to the family and friends of anybody who has died by suicide while under fitness-to-practise investigation.

“Our safeguarding lead is urgently revisiting those cases and examining the impact of our processes on all those who are involved in them.

“I am extremely sorry to hear the testimony of NMC colleagues who have shared their distressing experiences of racism, discrimination or bullying.

“On behalf of the council, I give my absolute assurance that addressing this will be front and centre of change at the NMC.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said:

“It is vital that whistleblowers are free to speak up, knowing that they will be supported, and their concerns will be listened to and acted upon.

“This review makes clear recommendations for the NMC, and we expect its council to respond with swift and robust action.”