NMC responds to announcement that nurses are to be added to Shortage Occupation List

Responding to today’s announcement by the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, that nurses will temporarily be included on the Shortage Occupation List, NMC Chief Executive and Registrar Jackie Smith said:

“As the regulator for the nursing and midwifery professions, the NMC ensures that everyone on our register is capable of practising safely and effectively. Our processes for admitting nurses and midwives who have trained outside the EU are clear, robust and effective. 

“Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have the knowledge, understanding and application of professional skills at the right level and they must also go through a full identification check as well as meet the English language requirements. 

“We understand that placing nursing on the Shortage Occupation List may prompt a significant increase in the numbers of overseas-trained nurses wishing to join the NMC’s register. We are confident that we have the resources and capacity to process an increased volume of applications over the coming months. 

“Once we have all the completed documentation we aim to process applications from non-EU trained nurses within 70 days and we are currently meeting that target. We will monitor this timescale carefully to ensure that we are continuing to meet expectations.”

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Notes for editors

1.   The Nursing and Midwifery Council exists to protect the public. We do this by ensuring that only those who meet our requirements are allowed to practise as a nurse or midwife in the UK. We take action if concerns are raised about whether a nurse or midwife is fit to practise.

2.   Details of our registration processes can be found on our website.

3.   For media enquiries, please contact Hannah Schraer, NMC media team, at media@nmc-uk.org or on 020 7681 5936.