Amos 5:24 “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” 

My name is Ishbel Straker. I am a consultant nurse and mental health therapist, and I have dedicated my career to protecting patients and supporting professionals in healthcare. 

In 2020, I raised concerns about serious failings within a healthcare provider. Soon after, I found myself facing what I believe were retaliatory and unjust actions from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)—the very regulator meant to uphold fairness and protect the public. 

Instead of addressing the concerns I raised, the NMC subjected me to years of delay, vindictive and malicious behaviour, and what I have experienced as calculated attempts to silence and discredit me. I have been suspended despite no evidence of harm in my practice, and my case has highlighted wider issues in how the NMC handles whistleblowers and Fitness to Practise proceedings. 

Speaking out has come at great personal and professional cost, but I will not stop advocating for truth, transparency, and accountability. 

My story is not only about me, it represents the experiences of hundreds of nurses and midwives who have been caught in a system that too often punishes those who speak up.


Shelagh Fogarty & Ishbel Straker on LBC 11/09/2025


'Malicious, vindictive and calculated' regulator slammed by nurse amid dramatic rise in suicides

'Malicious, vindictive and calculated' regulator slammed by nurse amid dramatic rise in suicides

09/11/2025

Ishbel Straker says the Nursing and Midwifery Council has attempted to “destroy” her credibility. Picture: LBC By Chris Chambers The nursing regulator has been accused of waging a “vindictive, calculated and malicious” campaign against a whistleblowing consultant nurse.

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LBC Interviews - "Vindictive, Malicious and Calculated" - Nurse Slams Regulator As Suicides Continue

LBC Interviews - "Vindictive, Malicious and Calculated" - Nurse Slams Regulator As Suicides Continue

09/11/2025

Ishbel Straker, who runs her own private mental health practice in Liverpool, says the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has attempted to “destroy” her credibility and career after she raised the alarm about their handling of her Fitness to Practise (FtP) case. MPs and campaigners have told LBC her case is part of an alarming trend when it comes to the watchdog’s approach to FtP cases, with 33 nurses and midwives known to have died by suicide while awaiting case resolution since 2016. Ishbel first blew the whistle on a healthcare provider in November 2020, which prompted the healthcare provider to make a “retaliatory complaint” to the NMC one month later. Click "Read more" to watch the full interview.

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VLOG - Thank you

  •  09/12/2025 10:48 AM

A big thank you for your public and private words yesterday. Yesterday was the launch of my campaign for a public enquiry and we have a strategy to roll out. Keep reposting and speaking your truth as we gather voices, no more silence our voices.

Interview - Vindictive, Malicious and Calculated" - Nurse Slams Regulator As Suicides Continue

  •  09/11/2025 10:29 AM

Ishbel Straker, who runs her own private mental health practice in Liverpool, says the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has attempted to “destroy” her credibility and career after she raised the alarm about their handling of her Fitness to Practise (FtP) case. MPs and campaigners have told LBC her case is part of an alarming trend when it comes to the watchdog’s approach to FtP cases, with 33 nurses and midwives known to have died by suicide while awaiting case resolution since 2016.

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