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.