Who does the NMC regulate?
By Luke Aldred
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the professional regulator for nursing and midwifery in the UK.
What is NMC registration?
The NMC maintains a register of almost 725,000 nurses, midwives, specialist community public health nurses and nursing associates who practice in the UK. They ensure that staff in these professions have the skills to deliver consistent and high quality nursing and midwifery care to keep patients safe and their professional standards support professionals in acquiring the knowledge and behaviours required to join the NMC register.
The NMC code
The Nursing and Midwifery Council set out professional standards all nurses and midwives must follow, named the NMC Code. The Code is structured around four themes; prioritise people, practice effectively, preserve safety and promote professionalism and trust. It’s not just a tool to support professional development but should be used to guide daily practice for all nurses and midwives.
The NMC’s 2020-2025 strategy is based around three key roles that underpin their purpose:
Regulate: It upholds high standards, maintains the register of professionals who are eligible to practice in the UK and will step in on rare occasions when care goes wrong.
Support: To ensure it regulates as progressively as possible, the NMC proactively supports its professions, allowing a balance between investigating rare cases of poor practice and promoting excellent practice.
Influence: Regulating and supporting its professions puts the NMC is a unique position to influence the development of health and social care policies and drive improvement across the sectors.
The NMC follows up on serious concerns raised about a nurses, midwives, or nursing associates fitness to practice. It will investigate the situation, and if needed, take action.
Joining the register
If you have a nursing degree, and a minimum of six months’ experience (within the last two years), there are a few different ways to register with the NMC. This depends on which part of the register you want to join (either as a nurse or midwife, or as a nursing associate) and where you trained. Here’s some additional information on joining the NMC register.
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