A fitness to practise investigation will sometimes end with a hearing which you’ll be required to attend. Our hearings may be held virtually or physically and in some cases, through a mixture of both.
We have plenty of information to help you, regardless of which type of hearing you’re attending.
Find out about virtual hearings
Find out about physical hearings
Your role in a physical and virtual hearing
Your role in a hearing is really important, but we’ll only ask you to take part if we think your involvement is necessary to the case.
If you’ve given a witness statement, it’s likely you’ll have to come to the hearing or attend virtually (by telephone or video-link).
It’s important for the panel to hear your evidence first hand as it helps them get a better understanding of the case and gives them the opportunity to ask questions.
Occasionally some witnesses won’t have to go to the hearing, for example, if the nurse, midwife or nursing associate admits the allegations against them. In these cases, your witness statement can sometimes be given to the panel to read as part of the evidence bundle instead.
Find out more about what it means to be a witness
What to do if you have a disability or any extra needs
We want to make our fitness to practise process as accessible as possible. If you have any addition needs, please let your case coordinator know as soon as possible.
Our hearing centres are all wheelchair accessible.
What if you don’t want to attend a hearing?
We want to make sure that nurses, midwives and nursing associates deliver kind, safe and effective care, and we hope that you’ll want to help us do this by engaging in our investigation.
We know you will have provided us with a written witness statement already, but the panel being able hear your evidence first hand helps them get a better understanding of the case. It also gives them a chance to ask you any questions or clarify any information in your witness statement.
If you have any questions or are feeling worried about appearing at a hearing, please speak to your case coordinator or a member of our witness liaison service who can answer any questions you might have, and support you throughout the whole process.
Will your name be made public after a hearing
The names of other witnesses and third parties aren’t anonymised during the hearing, but will be anonymised in the decisions and reasons published on the NMC’s website after the hearing.
Some witnesses may have been granted legal anonymity. This means that we must protect their identity, they will remain anonymous throughout the hearing and we won’t release their information to the public or the media.
However, names of witnesses and third parties who aren’t granted legal anonymity will be available on request and can be reported freely within the media.
