NMC highlights progress on FtP and education in ‘new phase’ for regulator

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is entering a ‘new phase’ after a year of reform, its leaders have said, pointing to faster case handling and planned changes to education and standards.

In an end-of-year statement, NMC chair Ron Barclay-Smith insisted the regulator would carry ‘momentum into 2026’ following a series of improvements.

He said: ‘This was the year that we started to build a new NMC so that we can become the strong and independent regulator that everyone wants to see.’

Paul Rees, chief executive and registrar, observed that the NMC had a ‘critical role to play on behalf of the entire nation – to protect the public, promote confidence in the nursing and midwifery professions, and uphold the standards of proficiency’.

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‘That’s why I’m pleased to report that we’ve started building a more positive and inclusive culture, which has helped us to ramp up performance,’ he said.

Mr Rees pointed to fitness to practise (FtP) cases being resolved at their fastest rate in almost five years. He also highlighted that the regulator was underway with headline reviews of the NMC Code and revalidation as part of a wider roadmap to improve education and standards.

‘While there’s still a way to go before everybody feels the benefit of faster, fairer processes and modernised standards, I hope that the public, professionals and our partners are reassured by what we’ve achieved in less than one year,’ Mr Rees said.

The regulator’s education roadmap also includes a practice learning review due in autumn 2026 and standards for advanced practitioners by March 2028. A consultation on modernising standards drew more than 13,500 responses, the NMC said.

Last month it was revealed that the NMC will proceed with a consultation on proposed changes to student nursing education standards after being given the green light by its governing council.

The NMC will consult on reducing programme hours and introducing a new requirement for a community-based placement for nursing students, among other changes.

In the spring, the NMC launched a three-year culture transformation plan and signed Unison’s Anti-Racism Charter.

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Shortly after, the regulator introduced equality, diversity and inclusion targets, including commitments to eliminate ethnicity and gender disparities in FtP outcomes, address disproportionate employer referrals, and reduce educational outcome gaps by ethnicity.

Earlier this month, the regulator presented proposals to unions and senior registrants on eliminating bias from FtP processes, with implementation expected to begin early next year.

The published statement outlining the NMC’s progress follows a damning independent review of the regulator in 2024, which outlined a ‘dangerously toxic culture’, highlighting incidents of bullying, racism and burnout among staff.

In addition, the NMC met only 11 out of 18 of the standards assessed in the Professional Standards Authority’s 2023/24 performance review, marking only the second time that a regulator has missed that many standards in a single year.

Earlier this month, data revealed an almost 50% collapse in the number of international professionals joining the NMC register compared to the same six-month period last year.

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Recent months have also seen the NMC draw criticism over the proposal to increase its registration fee from £120 to £143 per year. A public consultation has been opened, with a decision due next spring.

Unison described the proposed increase as ‘unfair’ and warned of the extra financial burden being placed on ‘an already undervalued and underpaid workforce’. Unison also said that the NMC’s plan to cut 145 jobs at the regulator risked ‘undermining service quality and staff morale’.