By 1 January 2003, when new nursing agency regulations come into force, every permanent and temporary nurse in the country will need security clearance from the Criminal Records Bureau.

More than 400,000 people will require checks before they can work, under the regulations and National Minimum Standards for Domiciliary Care Agencies and Nurses Agencies.

But the Criminal Records Bureau is already falling behind target, according to the United Kingdom Home Care Association (UKHCA) a representative body for private care providers.

Recruiter has obtained a letter written to Jacqui Smith, minister of state for health, by the UKHCA, stating that agencies providing nurses will “grind to a halt” unless transitional arrangements are made for the checks.

Bill McClimont, chair of the UKHCA, told Recruiter: “It will mean that there will be substantial non-compliance, because the alternative would be for the services to close down, and that can’t be allowed to happen.”

In her reply, Smith said she was looking at ways of sorting out potential implementation problems for providers. Meanwhile, another Department of Health official wrote to the UKHCA stating they saw no justification for deferment.

The CRB’s chaotic handling of teacher checks this month forced the government to allow school staff to work without full security clearance.

Meanwhile, the Institute for Public Policy Research has warned that over 300 categories of healthcare worker are not currently subject to security checks. These include support workers who are required to give patient care, such as occupational therapy assistants and ambulance technicians.

For more information on the implementation of the regulations, see www.carestandards.org.uk.