Nursing and Midwifery Council pursues turnaround following regulatory review

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is undergoing a turnaround process following a review by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA). The PSA report identified several weaknesses in the regulator's functions, noting that it met only half of its expected standards for 2025. Key areas for improvement include the handling of fitness to practise cases and the implementation of robust processes to ensure the quality of education and training for registrants.

In response to these findings, the NMC has launched a three-year turnaround plan and is currently seeking four new Council members to strengthen its strategic direction and governance. The recruitment drive aims to find two registrants and two lay people with extensive board-level experience to join the Council in early 2027. The regulator is specifically seeking diverse applicants from Black, Asian, and ethnic minority backgrounds to reflect the public it protects.

UK health minister Karin Smyth addressed parliamentary questions regarding the government's assessment of the NMC, emphasizing that healthcare professional regulation in the UK is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the government. While the Department of Health and Social Care discusses performance with the NMC and the PSA, the minister maintained the importance of regulatory independence.