Council meets in Northern Ireland and members visit local services

Post-registration standards

We’ll publish our final approved new standards in the coming weeks. These include standards for specialist community nursing and specialist community public health nurses, and associated programme standards. In a rapidly changing world, these ambitious standards will set the knowledge and skills that nurses need to care for and support people in their own homes and communities. 

Pre-registration education programme standards

We’ll now prepare for a consultation on some changes we’d like to make to our pre-registration education programme standards. Our proposals include more flexibility around simulated learning for nurses, and greater responsibility for education institutions to set more inclusive entry requirements to programmes. We’ll keep our professionals, partners, employers and the public updated about when our consultation will open.

English language requirements

We’ll launch a consultation this summer on proposed changes to our English language requirements. It’s essential that everyone joining our register has strong English language skills. Our proposals will make sure our requirements are fair and reliable for everyone.

Council members visit health and care sites across Northern Ireland

We want to deepen our understanding of the health and care environment in each country of the UK. Our Council members took the opportunity to visit some local health and care services and education institutions across Northern Ireland. These included Ardlough Care Home, HM Prison Magilligan, Causeway Hospital, Alnagelvin Hospital Education Centre, the Western Trust, and the Ulster University OSCE test centre.

Andrea Sutcliffe CBE, Chief Executive and Registrar at the NMC, said:

“As a four-nation regulator, it’s important for our Council to have significant discussions and take key decisions in different parts of the UK. That’s why we’re delighted to have been in Northern Ireland with a packed agenda. The Council have approved new standards for community and public health nursing, and we’ll now get ready to consult on some proposed changes to education programme standards and English language requirements.

“I thoroughly enjoyed meeting nurses at HMP Magilligan and Ardlough Care Home and I know my colleagues really appreciated the opportunity to see the amazing care nurses and midwives deliver across Northern Ireland during their visits. The skills, knowledge and specialisms among professionals here is truly remarkable. Our visit here helps us gain a deeper understanding of the health and care environment across the four nations, as we aim to become a more visible and informed regulator.”

Image 1: (l–r) Martina Mullan, Manager at Ardlough Care Home; Andrea Sutcliffe, NMC Chief Executive and Registrar; Mark Collins, Deputy Manager at Ardlough Care Home; Linda Everet, NMC Assistant Director of Professional Regulation; Sir Hugh Bayley, lay member of Council; Sir David Warren, Chair of Council.

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