NMC launches survey on future of Code and revalidation
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is inviting feedback this month from professionals, students, employers and the public to help inform work to shape the future of its Code and revalidation process.
NMC is reviewing its Code and revalidation procedure to reflect the UK’s ‘evolving health and social care landscape’ and ‘new and emerging challenges in practice’.
A survey, launched today and closing at the end of September, will gather people’s early views on changes required.
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The survey asks:
- The ways that the code could be improved via new or strengthened standards, guidance or supporting information
- How the NMC could improve its current model of revalidation, such as by ensuring it supports professionals to deliver the best possible care, and that the model is accessible is accessible for all registrants, regardless of role or background.
The NMC said that the research comes ahead of an expected formal consultation from September 2026, with a new Code and revalidation process in October 2027.
A revised Code is expected to include a focus on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), behaviour outside of professional practice, and registrants’ use of social media.
The regulator will email the survey to all professionals on the register, as well as sharing it with other relevant groups.
Professor Donna O’Boyle MBE, NMC acting executive director of professional practice, commented: ‘The Code and revalidation are fundamental to nursing and midwifery practice in all settings across the UK. Now is the time for people to share their views on how these pillars of effective regulation should evolve.’
NMC is encouraging people to complete the survey by the end of September.
The regulator said a formal consultation, expected to be launched September 2026, is subject to approval from the NMC’s governing council.
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The updated Code and revalidation process is expected to come into effect in October 2027.
Separately, the regulator is planning to consult on changes to its pre-registration practice learning requirements between February and March 2026, with the goal of transitioning to new NMC standards from September 2026.
For now, the NMC is continuing the next phase of its practice learning review, pursuing the five key lines of inquiry that were improved at a council meeting in January.
The plan follows an NMC report into practice learning requirements for nursing and midwifery students.
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The organisation is also working on a three-year programme, headed by chief executive and registrar Paul Rees, to deliver an ‘inclusive culture’ for staff and registrants.
This follows findings from an independent review of the NMC last year, which exposed examples of alarming behaviour by registrants, including allegations of sexual assault and accessing child pornography.
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