Nursing and midwifery council boss steps down days before review

The boss of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has stepped down days before a review into the regulator's handling of the Morecambe Bay scandal is due to be published.

Jackie Smith has announced her intention to stand down from her role as chief executive and registrar of the NMC.

A review into the NMC's handling of Morecambe Bay midwife cases is due to be published later this week.

Last year Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt tasked the Professional Standards Authority with carrying out the "lessons learned" review.

Ms Smith has been in her role for six years. She intends to leave her post at the end of July.

A 2015 inquiry found a "lethal mix" of failures at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust led to the unnecessary deaths of 11 babies and one mother between 2004 and 2013.

James Titcombe, whose son Joshua died after midwives missed chances to spot and treat a serious infection which led to his death nine days after he was born at Furness General Hospital in Cumbria, has been heavily critical of the regulator.

He wrote on Twitter that it was "disgraceful that the resignation isn't with immediate effect".

Adding: "Jackie has overseen a dire culture at the NMC that has caused considerable distress."