Legal requirements are those which are enshrined in the law. If an action or behaviour is against the law, then action can be taken against the person by the justice services.
The Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001 gave the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) powers to regulate the work of nurses and midwives in the UK. The NMC can remove a nurse from the UK register so that they cannot practice as a nurse.
Ethical dilemmas don’t have a prescriptive or clear cut answer unless there is a clear breach of a code of conduct or legislation. Each situation needs to be evaluated in context and professional support and advice should be sought when in doubt.
Community Nurses often work alone in the community and do not have the immediate resource of a team around them as their colleagues do in hospital or primary care settings. Therefore, it is extremely important that he or she understands the ethical and legal boundaries of the role and can respond appropriately to a variety of situations.