NMC to pitch code and revalidation changes to governing council

Potential changes to the nursing code and revalidation process will be presented by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) next month.

The NMC is set to ask its governing council for permission to launch a full public consultation on a suite of proposals on 21 July and, if approved, will consult on the process for three months starting in September.

The regulator has been taking an ‘evidence-based approach’ to reviewing key regulatory tools since summer last year with the aim of ‘reflecting today’s health and social care landscape, the evolution of professional practice, and the ongoing expectations of the public, professionals and employers’.

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Ahead of the consultation, the NMC is continuing engagement with professionals and partners including hosting a series of roundtable events to gauge people’s views on which areas of the code and revalidation it could strengthen.

Prominent themes discussed so far include expectations around anti-discrimination and anti-racism and the need to tackle racism and discrimination to address health inequalities.

The NMC recently unveiled a series of ‘anti-racism principles’ to help strengthen cultural safety, curiosity and respect within nursing practice and education.

The nursing regulator said its new principles were designed to ‘advance meaningful, sustained anti-racist, bias aware practice’.

Discussions have also focused on the use of technology such as artificial intelligence (AI), and the importance of the NMC’s standards being future-proofed.

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For revalidation, the NMC has recently presented early ideas to key stakeholders including greater emphasis on professionals’ wellbeing and considering how professionals should more strongly embed the code and standards into their practice.

Acting executive director of professional practice Professor Donna O’Boyle said: ‘As we form recommendations to reshape our code and revalidation process, it’s crucial that we continue to hear from a diverse range of voices and perspectives in all four countries of the UK.

‘These regulatory tools fundamentally underpin safe and effective nursing and midwifery practice across the UK, and we’re strengthening them to help professionals provide the best possible care for the people and communities we’re here to serve – now and long into the future.

‘We have received valuable feedback on elements such as the use of artificial intelligence, the embedding of equity, diversity and inclusion, and people’s behaviour outside of practice.

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‘It’s vital that the code and revalidation process reflect contemporary practice and meet the expectations of both professionals and the public.’