The Nursing and Midwifery Council is an organisation set up by Parliament to protect the public by ensuring that nurses and midwifes provide high standards of care to their patients and clients. The NMC replaced the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting in April 2002.

Its core function is to establish and improve standards of nursing and midwifery care in order to serve and protect the public.

The key tasks are to:

• maintain a register of qualified nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses
• set standards and guidelines for nursing and midwifery conduct, performance and ethics
• provide advice for registrants
• consider allegations of misconduct, lack of competence or unfitness to practice due to ill health.

To successfully complete the registration, the individual must provide a signed notification of practice (NOP) form and pay the registration renewal fee. By completing the NOP form the individual is declaring that they meet the required PREP standards and are of good health and good character. The NMC registration will not be renewed until the completed NOP form has been received and processed.

Special note to nurses
If you are not registered with the NMC, you cannot be employed to practise as a registered nurse, midwife or specialist community public health nurse in the United Kingdom.

The NMC code of professional conduct: standards for conduct, performance and ethics
The code of conduct was originally published by the NMC in April 2002, to provide professionals with the standard of professional conduct required of them and to inform the public, other professions and employers of these standards.

An updated version was later published in November 2004.

The code of professional conduct states that a registered nurse, midwife or specialist community public health nurse is personally accountable for his or her practice. In caring for patients and clients, they must:

• respect the patient or client as an individual
• obtain consent before giving any treatment or care
• protect confidential information
• co-operate with others in the team
• maintain professional knowledge and competence
• be trustworthy
• act to identify and minimise risk to patients and clients.

The PREP (practice) standard
The individual must have completed a minimum of 450 hours work during the previous three years, in their particular field of nursing, midwifery or specialist community public health nursing. Any work carried out prior to registration cannot be included. Midwives should continue to submit their intention to practice forms to their named supervisor of midwives on an annual basis.

Click here for further information on the PREP (practice) standard.

Special note to nurses
If you do not meet the PREP (practice) standard, you will need to successfully complete an approved return to practice course before you can renew your registration.

The PREP (continuing professional development) standard
The individual must have completed and recorded continuous personal development (CPD) over the three years prior to the renewal of the registration. In order to meet the PREP (CPD) standard the individual must:

• complete a minimum of 35 hours of learning activity relevant to their area of practice during the three year registration period
• maintain a personal professional profile (PPP) of the learning activity
• conform with any audit procedure by the NMC.

Click here for further information on the PREP (CPD) standard.

Special note to nurses
You must comply with the PREP (CPD) standard in order to maintain your NMC registration.

This document provides examples of how nurses, midwives and health visitors view their work, with a more flexible and professional approach to developing practice.

There are six principles that underpin the taking on of responsibilities beyond the traditional boundaries of practice. You should:

• be satisfied that patient and client needs are uppermost
• aim to keep up-to-date and develop knowledge, skills and competence
• recognise limits to personal knowledge and skill and remedy deficiencies
• ensure that existing nursing care is not compromised by new developments and responsibilities
• acknowledge personal accountability
• avoid inappropriate delegation.

Guidance is available from the NMC about aspects of record keeping and includes information on:

• content and style
• audit
• patient and client involvement
• legal matters and complaints
• access and ownership
• access to record – legal aspects
• interprofessional access to records
• ownership of records
• patient/client/parent-held records
• research, teaching and access
• record keeping – computer held records
• security, access and confidentiality
• patient and client involvement
• accountability and electronically-held records.

For more detailed information on records and record keeping, please click here.

There are 14 national standards that early years' providers have to achieve and are inspected against by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted). ‘Standard 1’ relates to the suitability of the person registered to provide care, and ‘Standard 7’ relates to health.  The nursery has to make sure that certain training and qualifications requirements are met:

• all supervisors hold a level 3 qualification appropriate for the care and development of children
• 50% of other childcare staff hold a level 2 qualification appropriate for the care and development of children
• all staff have induction training which includes health and safety and child protection policies and procedures within their first week of employment
• trainees under 17 years of age are supervised at all times and are not counted in the staff ratios. When they are over 17 years, and the registered person is satisfied that they are competent and responsible, they may be included in the staffing ratios.

Main qualifications in the UK include:

• National Nursery Examination Board (NNEB) Diploma in Nursery Nursing, awarded by the Council for Awards in Children’s Care & Education (CACHE)
• Certificate in Nursery Nursing
• Advanced Diploma in Nursery Nursing
• NVQ/SVQ in Care (Children)
• Level 3 Certificate in Work with Children (City & Guilds).

The National Standards for Under Eights' Day Care and Childminding require childminders to have completed a local authority pre-registration course and a first aid course, within six months of starting.

Other staff who are involved in looking after children include those working in the private sector for Social Services, and foster carers.

Educational services may employ ‘school nurses’ who are not registered nurses and so are not covered by this code of professional conduct.

www.nmc-uk.org
www.cache.org.uk
www.city-and-guilds.co.uk
www.ofsted.gov.uk
www.childminding.org
www.sqa.org
www.csci.org.uk
www.dfes.gov.uk
www.nes.scot.nhs.uk
www.surestart.gov.uk