Royal Courts of Justice
Strand
London WC2A 2LL
B e f o r e:
MR JUSTICE IRWIN
Between:
NURSING AND MIDWIFERY COUNCIL
Applicant
v
DAVIES
Defendant
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Mr P Pretty (instructed by the Nursing and Midwifery Council) appeared on behalf of the Applicant
The Defendant did not attend and was not represented
J U D G M E N T
(Mr Pretty, on behalf of the Applicant, applied for an extension of time)
MR JUSTICE IRWIN: I will give you the six-month extensions in both of these cases. I have read the papers, I have looked at the responses that there were on the last occasion, but I think you need to carry a message back to your clients that the picture is not very encouraging. First of all, they should not assume, and it should be noted on your file and noted on the court file, that in relation to these two registrants it should not be assumed there will be any more extensions. Secondly, more generally, because of the pattern with which this arises, the Nursing and Midwifery Council just need to get their act together, if I can use the vernacular, and make sure that things do not extend in this way. I appreciate it is the same problem as the GMC: you have to reassemble the same panel, it can take time to organise, but I think the assumption that two, three, sometimes four years after the event is an appropriate period in the absence of a particular reason is not an appropriate way to go on.
MR PRETTY: My Lord, I will pass that on and make sure that is done.
MR JUSTICE IRWIN: You have sent up draft orders. I will sign those.
MR PRETTY: I did not date them, as I did not want to prejudge your Lordship in any way. The date will be 21 November on both orders.
MR JUSTICE IRWIN: Yes. Thank you very much.