NMC reduces average FtP investigation times by 54 percent

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) today announced that it has reduced average investigation times in its fitness to practise (FtP) investigations by 54 percent. 

The NMC has reduced the average time taken for an FtP case to be investigated from 19.7 months in 2011 down to nine months in April 2014. 

Jackie Smith, Chief Executive and Registrar of the NMC said:

“I am delighted to be able to share our improvements as we become a more effective and efficient regulator. This reduction demonstrates the effectiveness of our ongoing improvement programme and our continued effort to make progress within our restrictive legal framework.”  

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Notes for editors

1.   We are the nursing and midwifery regulator for England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Islands. We exist to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the public. We set standards of education, training, conduct and performance for nurses and midwives, and hold the register of those who have qualified and meet those standards. We provide guidance to help nurses and midwives keep their skills and knowledge up to date and uphold our professional standards. We have clear and transparent processes to investigate and deal with nurses and midwives who fall short of our standards.

2.   The total number of referrals represents approximately 0.6% of the registered nurses and midwives. There are 796 unidentified referrals. This number includes referrals that were received and closed during 2012-2013 because a registered nurse or midwife could not be identified and cases where we were yet to identify a registered nurse or midwife as of 31 March 2013. Some of these will be identified in the next reporting period. The total number of identified referrals represents approximately 0.5% of the register.

3.   For media enquiries, please contact Madeleine Childs at madeleine.childs@nmc-uk.org or on 020 7681 5936.