Nursing and Midwifery Council
NMC Logo
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| Key people | Jackie Smith, CEO |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Website | www |
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the regulator for nursing and midwifery professions in the UK. The NMC maintains a register of all nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses eligible to practise within the UK. It sets and reviews standards for their education, training, conduct and performance. The NMC also investigates allegations of impaired fitness to practise (i.e. where these standards are not met).
It has been a statutory body since 2002, with a stated aim to protect the health and well-being of the public. The NMC is also a charity registered with the Charity Commission, charity number 1091434 and in Scotland with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, charity number SC038362. All Council members are trustees of the charity.
In 1983, the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC) was set up, replacing the former General Nursing Council for England and Wales, the Central Midwives Board in London and seven other bodies. The UKCC was expected to maintain a register of UK nurses, midwives and health visitors, provide guidance to registrants, and handle professional misconduct complaints. At the same time, National Boards were created for each of the UK countries. Their main functions were to monitor the quality of nursing and midwifery education courses, and to maintain the training records of students on these courses.
This structure of the UKCC survived with minor modifications up to April 2002, when the UKCC ceased to exist and its functions were taken over by a new Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). This was legislated for in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, through the Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001. The English National Board was also abolished and its quality assurance function was taken on board by the NMC. The other National Boards were also abolished, but new bodies were created in each country to take over their functions.
The NMC Council has two key roles: setting the strategic direction for the NMC and overseeing the work of senior NMC staff.
The Council ensures that the NMC complies with all relevant legislation, including the Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001 and the Charities Act 1993.
The Council is made up of 12 lay and registrant members, including one member from each of the four UK countries. They are appointed by the Privy Council. Registrant members are from a nursing or midwifery background; lay members are selected for their expertise in various fields and strategic experience.
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