Today the temporary nurse register closes to new members
By Gemma Raw
Applications to join the temporary nurse register will no longer be accepted as of 24 March 2022, ahead of the planned full closure of the register later this year.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the UK Government introduced emergency legislation which allowed nursing and midwifery professionals to support the healthcare response by joining a temporary register, operated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Following on from the announcement of its 'Living with COVID' plan, the government has decided to discontinue the temporary registration scheme for both nurses and midwives.
No new applications to join the temporary nursing register are being accepted as of 24 March 2022. However, those already working in nursing on a temporary registration basis have a six-month grace period to switch to permanent registration if they wish, prior to the temporary register being discontinued completely in September this year.
"Nurses and midwives on our COVID-19 temporary register have played an incredible part in the national response to the pandemic," said NMC Chief Executive and Registrar Andrea Sutcliffe. "Thousands answered our call to join, and have helped to keep essential health and care services going under extreme pressure during the emergency. We're very grateful to everyone for their dedication and commitment.
How to switch to full registration
If you're a nurse who is an overseas registration candidate, you'll need to complete your OSCE training before joining the full register. You can stay on the temporary register and continue to work while you study for and take your OSCE test.
If you've previously worked in a UK nursing role and were on the NMC's permanent register, you can apply for readmission in line with the NBC's return-to-practice standards and readmission process. To be eligible for readmission, you must have completed 750 practice hours over five years or 450 practice hours over three years. Alternatively, you must have either completed an approved return-to-practice programme or passed a test of competence. Any hours that you've completed while on the temporary register will count towards your practice hours for readmission.
National return-to-practice scheme
Since it was launched in 2014, the Health Education England (HEE) return-to-practice scheme has supported almost 8,000 experienced professionals in returning to nursing roles. There are approximately 30 return-to-practice courses available across the UK. A proportion of the training is university based, with the remainder of the time spent on a clinical placement.
Find a return-to-practice course using the NHS course finder.
