NMC proposes reduced hours and community placement requirement for nursing students

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is seeking approval from its governing council to consult on a series of changes to student nursing education standards – including reduced programme hours and a new requirement for a community-based placement.

The nursing regulator said its proposals were focused on ‘strengthening practice learning’ and follow several months of extensive research and stakeholder engagement.

If approved by its council at its next meeting on Wednesday 26 November, the NMC will aim to consult on its proposed changes between February and March 2026.

Any updates to its education standards following the consultation would happen ‘from September 2026’.

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Proposed key changes for nursing students

If agreed, the NMC will consult on reducing the requirement for 4,600 programme hours for nursing students to 3,600 hours. The split for theory and practice learning would remain at a balance of 50% – meaning practice learning hours would reduce from 2,400 to 1,800 and the same for theory hours.

In addition, the NMC is looking to add a new requirement that nursing students should have a practice learning opportunity within a community setting.

It will also consult on whether to introduce a ‘maximum use’ of simulated learning.

Separate proposals for midwifery education

Separately, the NMC is proposing specific changes to midwifery education, including exploring whether to extend the duration of midwifery programmes.

It said this followed ‘stakeholder concerns that programmes are not long enough, and agreement that any additional requirements would mean increasing the course length’.

Other proposals for midwifery education includes:

• Including a requirement to holistically assess students’ competence and confidence in labour and birth when supporting and caring for 40 births
• Strengthening wording to ensure consistency and greater emphasis on care for women with additional and complex needs
• Exploring options for a pre-qualifying placement to better support midwifery students’ transition to registered practice.

The NMC suggested its research into nursing and midwifery education found that many students across the UK benefit from ‘positive practice learning experiences’, but that the ‘quality of these experiences vary’.

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It also uncovered how issues such as practice learning capacity, the cost of living and resource and workload pressures influence students’ practice learning experiences.

‘It’s vital that partners and stakeholders across health and care work collaboratively to address these challenges and strengthen learning opportunities for all students,’ it said in a statement.

Donna O’Boyle, acting executive director of professional practice, said: ‘High-quality practice learning sits at the heart of nursing and midwifery education.

‘It’s essential in helping students gain the knowledge, skills and behaviours they need to deliver safe, effective care for people once they qualify.’

She added: ‘If approved, this consultation will be an important step – ensuring that any potential changes to our standards promote consistency, flexibility and inclusion across practice learning placements, while upholding the high-quality, person-centred care people have the right to expect.’

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NHS England previously signalled its support for a reduction in the number of clinical placement hours undertaken by nursing students as part of its 2023 workforce plan.

Earlier this year, a new government-funded strategy that aims to ‘embed’ adult social care placements in nursing degrees was unveiled by Skills for Care and the Council of Deans.