FtP cases being resolved at ‘fastest rate’ since 2021, says NMC

The rolling average of Fitness to Practise (FtP) cases being resolved within 15 months has reached nearly 72% over the past two months, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has revealed.

This is the highest level of cases being resolved within this time frame since February 2021.

However, the regulator also noted that ‘too many’ cases still take two to three years to resolve, and that its target of 80% of cases resolved within 15 months ‘is still some way off’.

Continued rise in FtP referrals

The overall FtP progress comes amid a continued rise in referrals. The rolling average of referrals was 581 for the 12 months to October 2025, up from an average of 499 in the year to April 2024.

NMC teams have responded by sustaining a ‘high rate’ of case decisions, with 1,038 made in September and 1,091 in October. In 2024, the monthly average was 799 decisions.

The improvements are part of the NMC’s ongoing Fitness to Practise Plan, which aims to make decisions more timely, fair, and considerate while providing better support for registrants, especially those with health or wellbeing concerns.

‘Still a long way to go’

Paul Rees, NMC chief executive and registrar, said: ‘Thanks to the hard work of NMC teams delivering our Fitness to Practise Plan, we are gradually making FtP more timely, with around 72% of cases being resolved within 15 months, end-to-end.

‘This steady progress is good news for everyone involved in our processes. But we are not complacent and know that there is still a long way to go before we reach our target.’

Mr Rees added that improvements to FtP were being made alongside modernisation of the Code and revalidation processes, reviews of practice learning, new standards for advanced practitioners, and efforts to build a positive and inclusive internal culture.

‘We are following through on our promise to build a new NMC – which is the strong and independent regulator that everyone wants to see,’ he said.

The latest data comes after two independent reviews, published last month, found the NMC had reached the right regulatory outcomes in 19 out of 20 FtP cases raised by a whistleblower.

In June, the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) said the NMC had failed to meet a wave of organisational standards across areas including safeguarding, FtP and whistleblowing.

Last month, Nursing in Practice exclusively revealed that the NMC is proposing to increase its registration fee for the first time in 10 years.

At the start of this month, the NMC launched a consultation to increase the fee from £120 to £143 per year.