Building a new NMC: the strong and independent regulator that everyone wants to see

Over the last 12 months, there has been a substantial improvement in the Fitness to Practise process. The latest figures show that the regulator has hit a timeliness rate of over 72% of cases being resolved within 15 months end-to-end for the first time in almost five years.

Last month 72.3% of cases were dealt with within 15 months end-to-end. This contrasts to where the NMC was in July 2023, when 60.8% of cases were resolved within 15 months end-to-end.

This year, the NMC also set out a popular roadmap for improving education and standards, with plans to publish:

• A practice learning review in autumn 2026
• A new Code and Revalidation process in autumn 2027, and
• Standards for Advanced Practitioners by March 2028.

The regulator recently ran a survey looking at what changes it could make to the Code and Revalidation process, and received more than 13,500 responses – demonstrating the appetite for change.

In November, against the backdrop of the various maternity reviews being held across the UK, the NMC also published its Midwifery Action Plan. This aims to ensure safe, equitable and person-centred maternity care and education – and support midwives to deliver the highest standards of care.

As part of our Midwifery Action Plan, we announced plans to help improve Black and minority ethnic maternal health outcomes – with measures to be rolled out to embed cultural competence, anti-racism and unconscious bias awareness within midwifery education and practice.

Meanwhile, the regulator’s Education Quality Assurance team have worked hard to ensure that 2,197 nursing and midwifery programmes are delivered effectively at 99 approved education institutions.

In March, the regulator launched a three-year Culture Transformation Plan to help build a culture that’s positive, empowering and inclusive – enabling the NMC to better regulate and support nursing and midwifery professionals, and therefore better protect the public.

The NMC also signed the UNISON Anti-Racism Charter, and rolled out key EDI targets, including:

• Eliminating ethnicity and gender disparities in the NMC’s Fitness to Practise processes by 2030
• Eliminating the disproportionate pattern of FtP complaints received from employers in relation to ethnicity by 2030
• Eliminating disproportionate outcomes, based on ethnicity, in nursing and midwifery education and training by 2035
• Eliminating disparities in the representation of Black, Asian and minority ethnic NMC colleagues in the upper two pay quartiles starting now
• Eliminating ethnicity, gender and other pay gaps by 2030.

In addition, earlier this month, the regulator took the exceptional step of presenting specific proposals to the unions and senior registrants, with lived experience, on how it can eliminate bias from Fitness to Practise by 2030, with the aim of rolling out concrete measures early next year.

NMC Chair Ron Barclay-Smith and NMC Chief Executive and Registrar Paul Rees MBE, who both joined the organisation in the first half of 2025, commented on these achievements.

Ron Barclay-Smith, Chair, said:

“This was the year that we started to build a new NMC so that we can become the strong and independent regulator that everyone wants to see. We’ll carry the momentum into 2026 as we continue to transform our culture and improve our regulatory performance.

“As we reach the year’s end, I want to recognise the fact that the nursing and midwifery professionals on the Register are facing considerable strain this winter – especially with the flu season having begun early.

“Despite the demands of their practice, I hope that they can find some time over the festive period to pause and reflect on all that they have achieved in 2025 – especially if they’re working over Christmas and the New Year.”

Paul Rees MBE, Chief Executive and Registrar, said:

“We have a critical role to play on behalf of the entire nation – to protect the public, promote confidence in the nursing and midwifery professions, and uphold the standards of proficiency.

“That’s why I’m pleased to report that we’ve started building a more positive and inclusive culture, which has helped us to ramp up performance.

“Fitness to Practise cases are being resolved at their fastest rate in almost five years. We’re also under way with headline reviews of the Code and revalidation, as part of a wider roadmap to improve education and standards.

“While there’s still a way to go before everybody feels the benefit of faster, fairer processes and modernised standards, I hope that the public, professionals and our partners are reassured by what we’ve achieved in less than one year.”

Other recent news…