NMC making fitness to practise more compassionate

We know FtP can be distressing for people and that registrants with complex support needs often struggle to participate. Improving the timeliness of our casework is key to enhancing people’s experiences but we are also exploring other ways to support people to engage in the process.

We have invested in establishing a Professional Support and Engagement Team (PSET) comprising colleagues with health and social care and other relevant experience. The team is integral to our work to improve registrants’ experience of FtP.

Its initial focus is on some of the most vulnerable registrants – and how we can provide tailored, values-based support which meets their individual needs and supports them to engage in the process fully.

We have also launched a pilot programme for cases relating to registrants’ physical or mental health. This uses a multidisciplinary approach – bringing together clinical and safeguarding advisers. These experts work together to help us to run proportionate investigations and support individuals according to their needs.

Early signs of positive impact

The pilot has reviewed a total of 83 cases so far in 2025. The early data show that under the pilot we have been able to progress these types of cases more quickly.

One registrant’s representative told us:

"It shows the NMC is able to pick up on the seriousness of a member's mental health conditions in some cases themselves without the representative body asking them to consider it."

More improvements to come

Over the coming months we will deliver further targeted reforms to transform the FtP experience, including:

• Clearer, more compassionate first contact with people when concerns are raised about their practice.

• Resources and support for registrants who are unrepresented in the FtP process.

Lesley Maslen, Executive Director of Professional Regulation at the NMC, said:

“We are committed to making fitness to practise more compassionate and supportive. That is why we are making further changes to ensure we always put people first when we investigate and communicate about concerns that have been raised with us.

“These changes are the first of several practical, evidence-driven improvements we are exploring, and it is reassuring to see they are being well received by people in the process.

“At the same time, we are working hard to maintain momentum in the timeliness of our decision making. The screening caseload recently dipped to its lowest level in five years, and we are resolving a higher average of cases within 15 months.”

Further information

• Careline: we offer an independent service run by specially trained counsellors, providing confidential emotional and practical support to professionals 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
• Investigations: If we've decided that a concern needs further investigation, the screening team will pass it onto the investigation team. The investigation team will then gather evidence and continually assess all the information they receive to decide what the next steps in the investigation should be. At the end of the investigation, the team will put together a report for our case examiners to look at .

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