'Nurse' claim concerns after Bruce grandson death

The death of the four-month-old grandson of football manager Steve Bruce is a "tragic reminder" of the "urgent need to protect the title of nurse", experts have said.

It comes after a coroner criticised the "misleading" use of the title "maternity nurse" following the death of Madison Bruce Smith.

He was found unresponsive by his father in Trafford, Greater Manchester, on 18 October 2024.

A maternity nurse – who had no medical qualifications other than basic first aid – had suggested Madison should be placed on his front to help him sleep despite established medical advice against it, an inquest heard.

The infant could not be resuscitated at the family home and was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

His parents had employed a maternity nurse through a company named Ruthie Maternity Services after their son had difficulty sleeping in the afternoons.

Alison Mutch, senior coroner for Manchester South, has written a Prevention Of Future Deaths report calling on the government to regulate the use of the word "nurse".

She said: "Any person can describe themselves as a maternity nurse or a sleep nurse or a post-natal nurse.

"No qualifications are required and there is no regulation of persons holding themselves out as maternity nurses or the agencies that offer training courses or their services."

Commenting on the report, a Royal College of Nursing spokesperson said: "This is the tragic reminder of the urgent need to protect the title of nurse.

"Patients and their families deserve to know that when they are being treated by a nurse they can trust the knowledge, professionalism and clinical expertise that brings.

"Nursing is a highly-skilled, safety-critical profession and we must now see urgent action from government to prevent those without the right qualifications from calling themselves a nurse."

The inquest heard Madison's father, former Leeds United player Matt Smith, and his wife, Bruce's daughter Amy, had employed Eva Clements.

She had come through a firm called Ruthie Maternity Services. The family believed she was skilled, trained and vetted and that the firm was well-established.

Mutch said: "In this case, the maternity nurse and the owner of the agency had no medical qualifications other than a basic first aid qualification.

"The use of the word nurse gave the impression of a level of knowledge and skills that were not present."

She called on the Department of Health and Social Care to act, adding: "Anyone, the inquest was told, can attach the term 'nurse' to a word such as night/maternity/post-natal.

"The inquest was told that only the term 'registered nurse' is protected and restricted in its use.

"An individual who has no medical training or formal early years training can offer their services to a family with young children describing themselves as, for example, a maternity nurse.

"This can, the inquest was told, give a misleading impression of their expertise and skill set to a family employing them.

"A statutory bar on the word nurse being used by anyone other than a registered nurse on the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) register would avoid this situation from arising."

Mutch also urged officials to promote safe sleeping habits.

The BBC has approached the government for a response.

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