The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has marked the end of Covid-19 emergency registration by thanking those who stepped up to provide essential services during the pandemic.
In March 2020, the Coronavirus Act 2020 allowed the NMC to set up a temporary register to support the health and social care workforce. It was open to those who had recently left the register, as well as some nurses and midwives from overseas.
The emergency register reached a peak of 15,457 professionals in March 2021 but new registrations ceased a year later as the emergency legislation expired. In September 2023, the government confirmed temporary registration would end as of 31 March 2024.
As of 29 February 2024, there were 1,049 professionals remaining on the temporary register, with 2,501 professionals having moved across to the permanent register – not including the internationally educated professionals who had joined the temporary register while in the process of applying to join the permanent register.
Andrea Sutcliffe, NMC chief executive and registrar, said the regulator was ‘incredibly grateful’ to every nurse and midwife who joined the Covid-19 temporary register.
‘In the face of fear and uncertainty for all of us, thousands joined the national effort to provide vital support for health and care services,’ she said.
‘It’s important we recognise all those professionals who lent their skills and compassion to protecting people in the most vulnerable circumstances during the peak of the crisis.’
She added: ‘Their selfless efforts will have made a big difference to people’s lives, especially through their contributions to the Covid-19 vaccination campaign.’
