Nursing and Midwifery Council

"There is a clear call for more to be done to root out racism and other forms of discrimination in health and social care. As an anti-racist regulator, we have a duty to ensure our regulatory tools can help professionals to challenge these unacceptable behaviours and foster equity, diversity and inclusion in practice." - Professor Donna O'Boyle, Acting Executive Director of Professional Practice

We’re continuing our review of the Code and revalidation, with EDI central to the latest discussions with our advisory groups.

Members are exploring how stronger, clearer language on EDI could be embedded in the Code.

Read more 👉 www.nmc.org.uk/news/news-an...

Two nurses stand in a hospital corridor with their arms around each other, smiling and talking.

A community nurse and a midwife stand outside a patient’s home, smiling as they arrive for a visit.

Three nurses in blue uniforms review patient paperwork together at a nurses’ station.

Two nurses walk together through a hospital corridor while talking during their shift.

Today we celebrate the 764,176 women on our register.

Happy #InternationalWomensDay 💙

Across hospitals, communities and clinics, women in nursing and midwifery make a difference to people’s lives every single day through their skill, compassion and dedication.

“Covid-19 changed the professions, and society, in ways that continue to shape health and social care services. The dedication and compassion shown by nursing and midwifery professionals during that time stands as a lasting testament to the vital role they play in keeping the public safe and well.” - Paul Rees MBE, Chief Executive and Registrar

Today marks the Covid-19 Day of Reflection.

We remember those who lost their lives during the pandemic and recognise the extraordinary dedication of the nurses, midwives and nursing associates who cared for people in the most challenging circumstances.

Read more: www.nmc.org.uk/news/news-an...

Purple graphic displaying a quote from Lesley Maslen, Executive Director of Professional Regulation at the NMC. The quote reads: “The expertise of our specialist team for sensitive and complex cases is invaluable, and we are keen to strengthen this work by enabling them to directly manage and investigate appropriate cases. This will improve consistency in decision-making and streamline our processes.”

We’re investing in a specialist team to help resolve sensitive and complex fitness to practise cases more quickly and consistently.

Expanding the team will help streamline our processes and support faster, fairer decision-making.

Read more: www.nmc.org.uk/news/news-an...

Reminder: drop into our Education & Standards online session tomorrow at 12:30–13:30 to ask questions and speak directly with our team.

Joining details below 👇

Photo of Joanne Bosanquet MBE, co-chair of the Breadth of Practice Advisory Group. She is smiling, wearing glasses outdoors in warm sunlight.

Graphic with teal background featuring a quote: “Nursing and midwifery are globally significant professions. We must ensure that we establish a future-focused ethical code and revalidation process that prepares us to respond to population needs and advocate for our citizens and communities.” - Joanne Bosanquet MBE, Co-chair of the Breadth of Practice Advisory Group.

We’re bringing together professionals from across the UK to help shape our Code and revalidation reviews.

Through our Breadth of Practice Advisory Group, we’re hearing from voices from across the sector, including primary care, education and management.

Learn more: www.nmc.org.uk/news/news-an...

Graphic promoting a Revalidation Roundtable for self-employed registrants and those who are the only NMC registrant in their workplace. Event takes place Monday 23 March, 11:00–12:30 on Microsoft Teams. Illustration shows a laptop with people in an online meeting.

Self-employed or the only NMC registrant in your workplace?

Help shape our revalidation review at an online roundtable:
📅 23 March | ⏰ 11:00–12:30

Register now: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/c59695...

Join our revalidation review community for updates: r1.dotdigital-pages.com/p/129A-1M08

Purple NMC graphic with the text ‘Education & Standards Drop-in Sessions’. On the right, a photo shows two people seated at a desk, looking at documents together in a classroom or training setting.

Got questions about NMC standards?

Join our Education & Standards drop-in on Wed 4 March (12:30–13:30) for informal, open discussion with our teams.

Register now for joining details: r1.dotdigital-pages.com/p/129A-1GXI/...

Graphic promoting a Revalidation Roundtable for self-employed registrants and those who are the only NMC registrant in their workplace. Event takes place Monday 23 March, 11:00–12:30 on Microsoft Teams. Illustration shows a laptop with people in an online meeting.

Self-employed or the only NMC registrant in your workplace?

Help shape our revalidation review at an online roundtable:
📅 23 March | ⏰ 11:00–12:30

Register now: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/c59695...

Join our revalidation review community for updates: r1.dotdigital-pages.com/p/129A-1M08

Graphic with a purple background featuring a quote from Tom Moore, Chief Information Officer. The quote reads: “This upgrade is part of the NMC’s wider digital transformation. By modernising our technology, we are making it easier for professionals to engage with us and ensuring the public benefits from a more responsive and effective regulator.” Decorative pink and green circular shapes appear on the right-hand side.

💻 MyNMC is now live.

Our upgraded portal makes it clearer and simpler for registrants and education institutions to manage registrations, with improved navigation, readability and security.

Find out more: www.nmc.org.uk/news/news-an...

Purple background with a large blue circle featuring a white crescent moon and small stars, alongside the text “Ramadan Mubarak” in white.

🌙 Ramadan Mubarak and our best wishes to all the nurses, midwives and nursing associates observing this holy month.

Thank you for your continued dedication to caring for patients and communities, and for supporting one another. 💛

Illustration of a healthcare professional talking with a young person in a hospital setting, with the text “Example scenario: Acute Hospital – Learning Disability Liaison Service and Rheumatology Outpatients” displayed on a blue background.

What does inclusive, person-centred practice learning look like in hospital settings?

Explore our Learning Disability Liaison case study 👇 A real-world example of proficiencies in practice for student nurses.

🔗 www.nmc.org.uk/standards/st...

"Following a rigorous quality assurance process, spanning 18 months, we’re delighted to welcome the University of Westminster as our 100th Approved Education Institution. We wish the first cohort of student nursing associates well." - Professor Donna O'Boyle MBE, Acting Executive Director of Professional Practice

We’re pleased to welcome the University of Westminster as the NMC's 100th Approved Education Institution.

The University’s new Nursing Associate programme brings the total number of NMC-approved nursing and midwifery education programmes to 2,150.

🔗 Find out more: www.nmc.org.uk/news/news-an...

"Whether it’s treating people with dignity, creating a psychologically safe environment, working effectively with colleagues or ensuring valid consent, so much of midwifery and nursing professionals’ work comes down to good communication." - Tracey MacCormack, Assistant Director for Midwifery

Good communication is central to safe, person-centred maternity care.

In her blog, Tracey MacCormack, Assistant Director of Midwifery at the NMC, reflects on how communication shapes consent, dignity and psychological safety in maternity settings.

🔗 Read now: www.nmc.org.uk/news/news-an...

➡️ However, insights from 37,961 professionals in March last year also lay bare the prevalence of harassment, bullying and abuse: 70% of respondents reported experiencing such behaviours in the past year.

➡️ 40% of respondents said they had experienced discrimination.

The widest survey of nurses, midwives and nursing associates by the NMC reveals that over half of respondents (58%) are satisfied in their work.

Read more in Spotlight 2025, our latest annual insight report: www.nmc.org.uk/news/news-an...

Graphic reading ‘Newsletters for nurses and nursing associates – Sign up now’, above a photo of two healthcare workers supporting an older woman as she walks down a hospital corridor.

📣 Are you a nurse or nursing associate?

Stay informed with the latest NMC news, guidance and resources to help you deliver safe and effective care.

Sign up to our nursing newsletter today 👇

www.nmc.org.uk/news/email-n...

For more details, view the Council papers here:
www.nmc.org.uk/globalassets...

Our next #NMCCouncil will take place on 25 March. You can find out more and register now: www.nmc.org.uk/about-us/gov...

We also discussed pressures from rising numbers of new referrals to FtP, and our next phase of improvement focused on timeliness and people’s experience of the process – including better use of technology, stronger quality checks and clearer, fairer decision-making.

December saw our strongest Fitness to Practise performance in nearly five years – with the rolling average of cases being resolved end-to-end within 15 months rising to 73.3%. In July 2023 it was 60.8%.

👉 Quarterly Corporate Performance Report

Council reviewed progress against our Corporate Plan – including culture change, improving Fitness to Practise and strengthening safeguarding.

Council also heard about new work to reduce bias in Fitness to Practise and support our target to eliminate ethnicity and gender disparities by 2030.

• Our latest registration data, which shows the Register has grown to a record 860,801 professionals, despite a sharp fall in internationally educated joiners.

• Progress against our Midwifery Action Plan, including an independent review of our standards of proficiency against recommendations from recent maternity reviews

👉 Executive Report

We updated the Council on:

• Our work on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) – including tackling ethnic and religious hate through awareness and training for key staff on anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hate

Purple graphic with the text ‘Highlights from today’s Council meeting’ and ‘Thursday 29 January’, above an illustration of five stylised people icons in different colours.

📣 Yesterday we held our latest #NMCCouncil meeting – with key discussions and decisions on our work to uphold high professional standards in nursing and midwifery.

Here are some highlights 👇🧵

Purple NMC graphic with the text ‘Education & Standards Drop-in Sessions’. On the right, a photo shows two people seated at a desk, looking at documents together in a classroom or training setting.

Got questions about NMC standards?

Join our Education & Standards drop-in on Wed 4 Feb (12:30–13:30) for informal, open discussion with our teams.

Register now for joining details: r1.dotdigital-pages.com/p/129A-1GXI/...

Photo of three students presenting in a classroom setting

A quote that says: "Hearing from students and those new to the Register is vital. Only by listening to the voices of those at the start of their journeys can we ensure that the Code and revalidation process reflect the realities they will meet throughout their careers." - Donna O'Boyle, Acting Executive Director of Professional Practice

A quote that says: "My involvement in the review is driven by a strong commitment to ensuring that the voices and lived experiences of students and newly registered professionals are meaningfully represented. I want to support a review process that enables the next generation of professionals to practise with confidence and integrity." - Carissa Tomo, Co-chair of the Student and Recently Registered Advisory Group

Students and newly registered professionals are influencing the future Code and revalidation process, supporting work to modernise standards and reflect contemporary practice.

Their insight will help inform proposed changes ahead of a public consultation in 2026.

👉 www.nmc.org.uk/news/news-an...

"By enhancing our technology and investing in our people, we’re ensuring that hearings are a better experience for everyone involved – which will also translate into more timely resolution of cases." - Lesley Maslen, Executive Director of Professional Regulation

We’re improving the timeliness of our Fitness to Practise hearings by upgrading our hearings technology and investing further in our Hearings team, helping deliver a faster and more reliable service.

Read more: www.nmc.org.uk/news/news-an...

"It was so refreshing to hear, as part of our Good Teamwork Means Better Maternity Care campaign, from so many professionals who are working hard to tackle these health inequalities.”  – Tracey MacCormack, Assistant Director for Midwifery

✍️ In her blog, Tracey MacCormack, Assistant Director for Midwifery, shares insights from the Good Teamwork Means Better Maternity Care campaign, which show how maternity teams are addressing inequalities through personalised care, cultural safety and local communities.
www.nmc.org.uk/news/news-an...