NMC launches new strategy to strengthen midwifery regulation and improve safety

The new strategy sets out how the NMC will strengthen midwifery regulation – with a focus on learning from national maternity reviews, supporting midwifery education to ensure newly registered professionals are equipped with the right knowledge and skills, identifying risks to people's safety earlier, and listening to women and families.

The regulator is committed to making midwifery regulation safer, more equitable, anti-racist and trusted, guided by five strategic priorities:

• Learn from national reviews and strengthen standards, education and practice
• Ensure fair, informed and effective midwifery regulation
• Listen, learn and advance equity and anti-racism
• Strengthen UK-wide midwifery regulatory leadership and accountability
• Use intelligence to identify risks and drive regulatory action.

Aligned with the NMC's corporate strategy for 2025-27, the Midwifery Regulation Strategy draws on feedback from stakeholders, as well as learning from national maternity and neonatal reviews.

By March 2027, the NMC will publish its response to relevant reviews, setting out the action it will take to strengthen regulation. This includes evaluating how its midwifery education and professional standards are being implemented to better protect women, babies and families.

Over the next four years, the regulator will also improve how it identifies emerging risks to people's safety, bringing together intelligence from across its regulatory work and the wider health and care system to inform earlier and more effective action.

As the regulator of midwives, the NMC has a responsibility to listen to its stakeholders, learn from their experiences and act on that feedback to improve how it regulates. The strategy commits to ensuring that women, families, midwives, students and other professionals will have meaningful and accessible routes to inform regulatory priorities.

Alongside this, the NMC will build on its commitment to tackling racial inequalities in maternity care, promoting its anti-racism principles alongside efforts to embed anti-racism, bias awareness, cultural curiosity, safety and respect in future standards.

Paul Rees MBE, Chief Executive and Registrar, said:

“As we build a new NMC, we’re striving to make midwifery regulation safer, equitable, anti-racist and trusted. Our new strategy is an important milestone, setting the foundations for how we’ll ensure everyone can have confidence in midwifery regulation over the next four years.

“We have an important role to play as part of the wider maternity system to help build back lost trust. That means listening and learning from national reviews and the experiences of women and families, while working closely with midwives, doctors and our partners across the UK.

“We also remain committed to strengthening the standards, education and guidance that support midwives in their vital roles, helping them deliver the safe, equitable and compassionate maternity care that everyone deserves.”

Read the full NMC Midwifery Regulatory Strategy

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