Landmark moment as NMC becomes regulator for nursing associates

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has become the regulator in law for nursing associates - the new health and care role designed to bridge the gap between unregulated health care assistants and registered nurses.

Jackie Smith, NMC Chief Executive and Registrar, said:

“This is a significant milestone on the nursing associate journey and regulation of this new role has now become a reality. There is still much to do to before the first nursing associates join our register early next year and we will continue to work with our partners to ensure this new role is understood.”

Nursing associates will care for people of all ages, in a range of settings including hospitals, care homes and the community. As highly educated and skilled support staff, they will bring a more diverse skills mix to nursing teams and will allow registered nurses to focus on more complex care.

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Notes for editors

1.  For media enquiries, please contact NMC press office on 020 7681 5884 or email media@nmc-uk.org.
2. The NMC Council agreed to become the regulator for nursing associates in January 2017 after a request by the then Secretary of State for Health and Social Care the Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP. In September, the Council will agree the standards that nursing associates must meet to join the register, the Code for nursing associates and the annual registration fee.
3. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the independent professional regulator for nurses and midwives in the UK. We exist to protect the public. We do this by maintaining the register of qualified nurses and midwives and setting standards of education, training, conduct and performance. We make sure that nurses and midwives keep their skills and knowledge up to date through a regular revalidation process. If concerns are raised about the standards of a registered nurse or midwife, we have a duty to investigate and, where necessary, take action to protect the public.