NMC welcomes House of Lords NHS sustainability report

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has today welcomed the House of Lords Select Committee report on the long-term sustainability of the NHS.

Responding to recommendations within the report for the Government to bring forward legislation to urgently reform the system of regulation for health and social care professionals, NMC Chief Executive and Registrar, Jackie Smith, said:

"I have long maintained that the NMC’s legislation is out of date and in need of major change to allow us to become a modern and dynamic regulator and I am pleased that this report recognises the pressing need for reform in this area. As the report acknowledges, the healthcare environment is changing at an unprecedented rate and it is vital that the Government pushes ahead with establishing a shared vision for future regulation."

Responding to recommendations that HEE should convene a group to investigate how medical and social care education and ongoing training courses can be reformed, Jackie Smith said:

“We are pleased that the report acknowledges that the future healthcare workforce will have to be more flexible, agile and responsive to changing need. That’s why we are currently undertaking a radical review of our education standards, thinking about what the public will need from nurses and midwives in the future.
“The NMC agrees that professional bodies, education providers and regulators should embrace the opportunities for different ways of working made possible by emerging healthcare roles.

“We are now central to the development of the new nursing associate role which bridges the gap between healthcare assistants and registered nurses. We are currently developing standards for this important new role which we expect to start regulating in 2019.”

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Notes for editors

1. For media enquiries, please contact NMC press office on 020 7681 5649 or email media@nmc-uk.org. 
2. 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.