Nurses lobby RCN Council to challenge NMC fee rise

Nurses have voted to challenge the increase to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) annual registration fee at this year’s Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Congress.

Those among the profession have called upon the RCN Council to take the ‘strongest possible measures’ to challenge the rise – from £120 to £143 a year – which is due to come into force in October 2026.

The move came during this year’s RCN Congress which is being held in Liverpool throughout the week.

The NMC’s governing council approved the increase last month amid concerns the regulator was in an ‘unsustainable financial position’. This was despite opposition from nurses who deemed it ‘unreasonable’ in a 12-week consultation.

Today, registered nurse Stuart Quarterman, chair of the RCN’s Plymouth branch, proposed the motion, telling a room of nurses that the decision to increase the fee was ‘unacceptable’ and urging the RCN Council to take the ‘strongest possible measures’ to oppose the rise.

He said: ‘A well-functioning regulator protects the public, upholds standards, and supports professional integrity. That’s not a question.

‘What is in question is whether the burden of funding that system should fall so heavily and increasingly on the shoulders of registrants themselves.’

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Lyndsey Curtis-Dawson, secretary of the Northumberland Tyne and Wear branch, seconded the proposal.

She told congress the increase is not ‘just about the £23 increase per year’ but about ‘transparency and fairness’ from NMC.

Registered nurse Kevin Jones, based in South East Wales, dubbed the increase an ‘absolute disgrace’ and questioned how often the profession heard updates from the regulator.

However, previous chair of RCN Congress BJ Waltho said she ‘cautiously welcomes’ the increase, telling congress the wait for Fitness to Practise (FtP) cases is ‘totally unacceptable’.

‘The RCN has already strongly criticised [the fee increase]. There has been no increase for 11 years.

‘I’m hoping these additional funds will speed up [FtP processes] and I ask RCN to specifically monitor this’.

The £1.92 per month increase is the first fee rise in 11 years and is expected to come into force in October 2026.

It was approved by the NMC’s governing council on 28 April, with council chair Ron Barclay-Smith telling attendees the decision was not taken ‘lightly’.

However, the regulator had warned that its financial reserves would fall to ‘unsafe levels’ by the summer of 2027 if registration fees were not increased.

The reserves have dropped from £101m in March 2024 to around £49.6m currently and were projected to fall to £15.9m in March 2027 if there was no increase in the fee.

It noted that if fees had risen in line with inflation, the fee would now be more than £166 and it ‘would have benefitted from additional income of some £180m in the 10 years up to the end of March 2026’.

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The regulator added that the number of registrants rose from 686,782 in 2015 to 867,935 by 2026, meaning ‘greater demand’ on services such as registration and revalidation, while annual FtP referrals have risen by 21% since 2015.

Feedback from a 12-week consultation held between 3 November 2025 and 26 January 2026 showed opposition to the increase, despite the NMC saying many respondents demonstrated ‘strong levels’ of understanding of its rationale.

An online survey was completed by 40,641 respondents, alongside four focus groups with registered professionals and two with nursing and midwifery students.

A majority of respondents (81%) disagreed that the proposal was reasonable, with over 63% strongly disagreeing.

At the time, Paul Rees, NMC’s chief executive, said: ‘We know from our consultation that many nurses, midwives and nursing associates remain under real financial pressure.

‘It’s clear from the consultation that most registrants understand our financial rationale. For 11 years, we’ve deliberately held the registration fee at the same level to avoid adding to cost-of-living pressures. However, this is no longer sustainable.’

In response to the vote at congress, an NMC spokesperson said: ‘Our governing body did not take the decision to approve the increase in the fee lightly.

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‘It recognised, from the consultation feedback, that the cost-of-living remains a real issue for many registrants, 11 years on since we began to freeze the registration fee.

 ‘At the same time, council could not ignore our financial position. Due to inflation over the 11-year freeze, there’s been a 28.8% loss in the real value of the fees, with a resultant loss of £186m of income up to the end of March.

‘As a result of our financial situation, we’ve had to start drawing down on our reserves – and posting substantial deficits – with our reserves falling from £101m in March 2024 to around £49.6m now. If we don’t increase the fee this will drop to £15.9m in March 2027.

 ‘The increase in the registration fee, by £1.92 per month, is necessary in order for us to remain sustainable as an organisation and to enable us to continue delivering our core functions of protecting the public, maintaining confidence in the professions and upholding the standards.’