Part 3: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes

www.nmc.org.uk Programme standards: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes 1

Realising professionalism:

Standards for education and training

Part 3: Standards

for pre-registration

nursing programmes

Published 17 May 2018

www.nmc.org.uk Programme standards: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes 2

About these standards

Realising professionalism: Standards for education

and training includes the Standards framework for

nursing and midwifery education, Standards for

student supervision and assessment, and programme

standards speciﬁc to each approved programme.

Our Standards for education and training are set out in

three parts:

Part 1: Standards framework for nursing and

midwifery education

Part 2: Standards for student supervision and

assessment

Part 3: Programme standards

• Standards for pre-registration nursing education

• Standards for prescribing programmes

These standards help nursing and midwifery students achieve

the NMC proﬁciencies and programme outcomes. All nursing and

midwifery professionals must practise in line with the requirements

of the Code (2015), the professional standards of practice and

behaviour that nurses and midwives are expected to uphold.

www.nmc.org.uk Programme standards: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes 3

Introduction

Our Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes set

out the legal requirements, entry requirements, availability of

recognition of prior learning, length of programme, methods of

assessment and information on the award for all pre-registration

nursing education programmes.

Student nurses must successfully complete an NMC approved

pre-registration programme in order to meet the Standards of

proﬁciency for registered nurses and to be eligible to apply, and

be entered onto, the NMC register.

Public safety is central to our standards. Students will be in

contact with people throughout their education and it’s important

that they learn in a safe and eective way.

These programme standards should be read with the NMC

Standards framework for nursing and midwifery education and

Standards for student supervision and assessment which apply to

all NMC approved programmes. There must be compliance with all

these standards for an education institution to be approved and

to run any NMC approved programme.

Standards

for education

and training

Standards

of proﬁ ciency

for nursing

and midwifery

professions

Pre Post

Standards

framework

for nursing

and midwifery

education

Standards

for student

supervision

and assessment

Programme

standards

www.nmc.org.uk Programme standards: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes 4

Education providers structure their educational programmes

to comply with our programme standards. They also design their

curricula around the published proﬁciencies for a particular

programme and students are assessed against these proﬁciencies

to make sure they are capable of providing safe and eective care.

Proﬁciencies are the knowledge, skills and behaviours that nurses

and midwives need in order to practise. We publish standards of

proﬁciency for the nursing and midwifery professions as well as

proﬁciencies for NMC approved post-registration programmes.

Through our quality assurance (QA) processes we check that

education programmes meet all of our standards regarding

the structure and delivery of educational programmes, that

the programme outcomes relate to the expected proﬁciencies

for particular qualiﬁcations and that the approved education

institutions (AEIs) and practice learning partners are managing

risks eectively. Using internal and external intelligence we monitor

risks to quality in education and training; this intelligence gathering

includes analysis of system regulator reports.

Before any programme can be run, we make sure it meets our

standards. We do this through an approvals process, in accordance

with our Quality assurance framework.

Legislative framework

Article 15(1) of the Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001

(‘the Order’) requires the Council to establish standards for

education and training which are necessary to achieve the

standards of proﬁciency for admission to the register, as required

by Article 5(2) of the Order. The standards for pre-registration

nursing programmes are established under the provision of

Article 15(1) of the Order.

Overall responsibility for the day-to-day management of the quality

of any educational programme lies with an AEI in partnership with

practice learning partners.

www.nmc.org.uk Programme standards: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes 5

Four ﬁelds of nursing practice

In accordance with the Nurses & Midwives (Part and Entries in the

entries in the register are to include a registrant’s ﬁeld of practice,

UK students that qualify in a speciﬁc ﬁeld of practice as a level 1

nurse may apply to enter the NMC register as a nurse in one or

more of the four ﬁelds of nursing practice: adult, children, learning

disabilities and mental health.

AEIs and their practice learning partners have ownership and

accountability for the development, delivery and management of pre

registration nursing programme curricula. Pre-registration nursing

programmes may oer various routes to registration however, all

programmes leading to registration must include routes within the

programme speciﬁc to the relevant ﬁelds of nursing practice for

which approval is being sought.

The Standards framework for nursing and midwifery education

and these programme requirements give AEIs in partnership with

practice partners the ﬂexibility to design their own curriculum

and the autonomy to decide on the proportion of generic and ﬁeld

speciﬁc hours provided. In designing curricula for dual award (that

is, a programme of study that leads to registration in two ﬁelds

of nursing practice) the NMC expects the AEI to design and deliver

a programme of suitable length that ensures the student

is proﬁcient in delivering safe and eective care in both ﬁelds

of nursing.

Programme curricula must cover the outcomes set out in

platforms 1-7 of Standards of proﬁciency for registered nurses and

the communication and relationship management skills and nursing

procedures set out in the Annexes to that document. All nursing

students across all ﬁelds of nursing must have the necessary

learning supervision and assessment in preparation for

professional practice as a registered nurse. The adult nursing

ﬁeld must also include the content and competencies speciﬁed

in relevant EU legislation.

We believe that involving our service users and members of the

public in the planning and delivery of curricula will promote public

conﬁdence in the education of future nurses. We encourage the

use of supportive evidence and engagement from people who have

experienced care by adult, children’s, learning disabilities or mental

health nurses to inform programme design and delivery for all

ﬁelds of nursing practice.

Nursing students will learn and be assessed in theory, simulation

and practice environments. AEIs and practice placement partners

must ensure that students meet the proﬁciencies relevant to

their anticipated ﬁeld(s) of nursing practice by the end of the

programme. On successful completion of a programme students

will be registered by the NMC as qualifying in one or more ﬁeld

of nursing practice.

www.nmc.org.uk Programme standards: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes 6

The student journey

Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes

follow the student journey and are grouped under the

following ﬁve headings:

1. Selection, admission and progression

Standards about an applicant’s suitability and continued

participation in a pre-registration nursing programme

2. Curriculum

Standards for the content, delivery and evaluation of

the pre-registration nursing programme

3. Practice learning

Standards speciﬁc to pre-registration learning for nurses

that takes place in practice settings

4. Supervision and assessment

Standards for safe and eective supervision and assessment

for pre-registration nursing programmes

5. Qualiﬁcation to be awarded

Standards which state the award and information for

the NMC register.

www.nmc.org.uk Programme standards: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes 7

1 Selection, admission

and progression

Approved education institutions together with practice learning

partners must:

1.1 Conﬁrm on entry to the programme that students:

1.1.1 are suitable for their intended ﬁeld of nursing practice:

adult, mental health, learning disabilities and

children’s nursing

1.1.2 demonstrate values in accordance with

the Code (2015)

1.1.3 have capability to learn behaviours in accordance with

the Code (2015)

1.1.4 have capability to develop numeracy skills required to

meet programme outcomes

1.1.5 can demonstrate proﬁciency in English language

1.1.6 have capability in literacy to meet

programme outcomes

1.1.7 have capability for digital and technological literacy

to meet programme outcomes.

www.nmc.org.uk Programme standards: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes 8

1.2 ensure students’ health and character are sucient to enable

safe and eective practice on entering the programme,

throughout the programme and when submitting the

supporting declaration of health and character in line with

the NMC’s health and character decision-making guidance.

This includes satisfactory occupational health assessment and

criminal record checks

1.3 ensure students are fully informed of the requirement to

declare immediately any cautions or convictions, pending

charges or adverse determinations made by other regulators,

professional bodies and educational establishments, and that

any declarations are dealt with promptly, fairly and lawfully

1.4 ensure the registered nurse responsible for directing the

educational programme or their designated registered nurse

substitute are able to provide supporting declarations of

health and character for students who have completed a

pre-registration nursing programme

1.5 permit recognition of prior learning that is capable of being

mapped to the Standards of proﬁciency for registered nurses

and programme outcomes, up to a maximum of 50 percent

of the programme and comply with Article 31(3) of Directive

2005/36/EC (included in Annexe 1 of this document)

1.6 for NMC registered nurses permit recognition of prior

learning that is capable of being mapped to the Standards of

proﬁciency for registered nurses and programme outcomes

that may be more than 50 percent of the programme

1.7 support students throughout the programme in continuously

developing their abilities in numeracy, literacy, digital and

technological literacy to meet programme outcomes, and

1.8 ensure that all those enrolled on pre-registration nursing

programmes are compliant with Article 31(1) of Directive

2005/36/EC regarding general education length as outlined

in Annexe 1 of this document.

Rule 6(1)(a)(i) of the Nursing and Midwifery Council

(Education, Registration and Registration Appeals) Rules 2004 (SI 2004/1767)

www.nmc.org.uk Programme standards: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes 9

2 Curriculum

Approved education institutions together with practice learning

partners must:

2.1 ensure that programmes comply with the NMC Standards

framework for nursing and midwifery education

2.2 comply with the NMC Standards for student supervision

and assessment

2.3 ensure that programme learning outcomes reﬂect the

Standards of proﬁciency for registered nurses and each of the

four ﬁelds of nursing practice: adult, mental health, learning

disabilities and children’s nursing

2.4 design and deliver a programme that supports students and

provides exposure across all four ﬁelds of nursing practice:

adult, mental health, learning disabilities and children’s nursing

2.5 state routes within their pre-registration nursing programme

that allows students to enter the register in one or more of

the speciﬁc ﬁelds of nursing practice: adult, mental health,

learning disabilities or children’s nursing

2.6 set out the general and professional content necessary to

meet the Standards of proﬁciency for registered nurses and

programme outcomes

2.7 set out the content necessary to meet the programme

outcomes for each ﬁeld of nursing practice: adult, mental

health, learning disabilities and children’s nursing

2.8 ensure that ﬁeld speciﬁc content in relation to the law,

safeguarding, consent, pharmacology and medicines

administration and optimisation is included for entry to

the register in one or more ﬁelds of nursing practice

2.9 ensure the curriculum provides an equal balance of

theory and practice learning using a range of learning

and teaching strategies

2.10 ensure that programmes delivered in Wales comply with

legislation which supports use of the Welsh language

2.11 ensure pre-registration nursing programmes leading to

registration in the adult ﬁeld of practice are mapped to the

content for nurses responsible for general care as set out

in Annexe V.2 point 5.2.1 of Directive 2005/36/EC (included in

Annexe 1 of this document)

2.12 ensure that all pre-registration nursing programmes meet

the equivalent of minimum programme length for nurses

responsible for general care in Article 31(3) of Directive

2005/36/EC (included in Annexe 1 of this document)

2.13 ensure programmes leading to registration in two ﬁelds of

nursing practice are of suitable length to ensure proﬁciency

in both ﬁelds of nursing, and

2.14 ensure programmes leading to nursing registration and

registration in another profession, are of suitable length

and nursing proﬁciencies and outcomes are achieved in a

nursing context.

www.nmc.org.uk Programme standards: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes 10

3 Practice learning

Approved education institutions together with practice learning

partners must:

3.1 provide practice learning opportunities that allow students to

develop and meet the Standards of proﬁciency for registered

nurses to deliver safe and eective care to a diverse range

of people, across the four ﬁelds of nursing practice: adult,

mental health, learning disabilities and children’s nursing

3.2 ensure that students experience the variety of practice

expected of registered nurses to meet the holistic needs of

people of all ages

3.3 provide practice learning opportunities that allow students

to meet the communication and relationship management

skills and nursing procedures, as set out in Standards of

proﬁciency for registered nurses, within their selected ﬁelds of

nursing practice: adult, mental health, learning disabilities and

children’s nursing

3.4 ensure technology enhanced and simulation-based learning

opportunities are used eectively and proportionately to

support learning and assessment and pre-registration

nursing programmes leading to registration in the adult ﬁeld

of practice comply with Article 31(5) of Directive 2005/36/EC

(included in Annexe 1 of this document)

3.5 take account of students’ individual needs and personal

circumstances when allocating their practice learning

including making reasonable adjustments for students

with disabilities

3.6 ensure students experience the range of hours expected

of registered nurses, and

3.7 ensure that students are supernumerary.

www.nmc.org.uk Programme standards: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes 11

4 Supervision and

assessment

Approved education institutions together with practice learning

partners must:

4.1 ensure that support, supervision, learning and assessment

provided complies with the NMC Standards framework for

nursing and midwifery education

4.2 ensure that support, supervision, learning and assessment

provided complies with the NMC Standards for student

supervision and assessment

4.3 ensure they inform the NMC of the name of the registered

nurse responsible for directing the education programme

4.4 provide students with feedback throughout the programme to

support their development

4.5 ensure throughout the programme that students meet the

Standards of proﬁciency for registered nurses and programme

outcomes for their ﬁelds of nursing practice: adult, mental

health, learning disabilities and children’s nursing

4.6 ensure that all programmes include a health numeracy

assessment related to nursing proﬁciencies and calculation

of medicines which must be passed with a score of 100%

4.7 ensure that students meet all communication and relationship

management skills and nursing procedures within their ﬁelds

of nursing practice: adult, mental health, learning disabilities

and children’s nursing

4.8 assess students to conﬁrm proﬁciency in preparation

for professional practice as a registered nurse

4.9 ensure that there is equal weighting in the assessment of

theory and practice

4.10 ensure that all proﬁciencies are recorded in an ongoing record

of achievement which must demonstrate the achievement of

proﬁciencies and skills set out in Standards of proﬁciency for

registered nurses, and

4.11 ensure the knowledge and skills for nurses responsible

for general care set out in Article 31(6) and the competencies

for nurses responsible for general care set out in

Article 31(7) of Directive 2005/36/EC for pre-registration

nursing programmes leading to registration in the adult ﬁeld

of practice have been met. (Annexe 1 of this document).

www.nmc.org.uk Programme standards: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes 12

5 Qualiﬁcation to

be awarded

Approved education institutions together with practice learning

partners must:

5.1 ensure that the minimum award for a pre-registration nursing

programme is a bachelor’s degree, and

5.2 notify students during and before completion of the

programme that they have ﬁve years to register their award

with the NMC. In the event of a student failing to register

their qualiﬁcation within ﬁve years they will have to undertake

additional education and training or gain such experience as

speciﬁed in our standards.

www.nmc.org.uk Programme standards: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes 13

Annexe 1

DIRECTIVE 2005/36/EC OF THE EUROPEAN

PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on the

recognition of professional qualiﬁcations

(as amended by Directive 2013/55/EU)

Article 31

Training of nurses responsible for general care

1. Admission to training for nurses responsible for general care

shall be contingent upon either:

a completion of general education of 12 years, as attested

by a diploma, certiﬁcate or other evidence issued by the

competent authorities or bodies in a Member State or

a certiﬁcate attesting success in an examination of an

equivalent level and giving access to universities or to

higher education institutions of a level recognised as

equivalent; or

b completion of general education of at least 10 years, as

attested by a diploma, certiﬁcate or other evidence issued

by the competent authorities or bodies in a Member State

or a certiﬁcate attesting success in an examination of an

equivalent level and giving access to a vocational school or

vocational training programme for nursing.

2. Training of nurses responsible for general care shall be given

on a full-time basis and shall include at least the programme

described in Annex V, point 5.2.1.

The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts

in accordance with Article 57c concerning amendments to the

list set out in point 5.2.1 of Annex V with a view to adapting it to

scientiﬁc and technical progress.

The amendments referred to in the second subparagraph

shall not entail an amendment of existing essential legislative

principles in Member States regarding the structure of

professions as regards training and conditions of access

by natural persons. Such amendments shall respect the

responsibility of the Member States for the organisation of

education systems, as set out in Article 165(1) TFEU.

3. The training of nurses responsible for general care shall

comprise a total of at least three years of study, which may in

addition be expressed with the equivalent ECTS credits, and

shall consist of at least 4,600 hours of theoretical and clinical

training, the duration of the theoretical training representing

at least one third and the duration of the clinical training at

least one half of the minimum duration of the training. Member

States may grant partial exemptions to professionals who have

received part of their training on courses which are of at least

an equivalent level.

The Member States shall ensure that institutions providing

nursing training are responsible for the coordination of

theoretical and clinical training throughout the entire

study programme.

www.nmc.org.uk Programme standards: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes 14

4. Theoretical education is that part of nurse training from

which trainee nurses acquire the professional knowledge,

skills and competences required under paragraphs 6 and 7.

The training shall be given by teachers of nursing care and by

other competent persons, at universities, higher education

institutions of a level recognised as equivalent or at vocational

schools or through vocational training programmes for nursing.

5. Clinical training is that part of nurse training in which trainee

nurses learn, as part of a team and in direct contact with

a healthy or sick individual and/or community, to organise,

dispense and evaluate the required comprehensive nursing

care, on the basis of the knowledge, skills and competences

which they have acquired. The trainee nurse shall learn not only

how to work in a team, but also how to lead a team and organise

overall nursing care, including health education for individuals

and small groups, within health institutes or in the community.

This training shall take place in hospitals and other health

institutions and in the community, under the responsibility of

nursing teachers, in cooperation with and assisted by other

qualiﬁed nurses. Other qualiﬁed personnel may also take part in

the teaching process.

Trainee nurses shall participate in the activities of the

department in question insofar as those activities are

appropriate to their training, enabling them to learn to assume

the responsibilities involved in nursing care.

6. Training for nurses responsible for general care shall provide an

assurance that the professional in question has acquired the

following knowledge and skills:

a comprehensive knowledge of the sciences on which general

nursing is based, including sucient understanding of the

structure, physiological functions and behaviour of healthy

and sick persons, and of the relationship between the state

of health and the physical and social environment of the

human being;

b knowledge of the nature and ethics of the profession and

of the general principles of health and nursing;

c adequate clinical experience; such experience, which should

be selected for its training value, should be gained under

the supervision of qualiﬁed nursing sta and in places

where the number of qualiﬁed sta and equipment are

appropriate for the nursing care of the patient;

d the ability to participate in the practical training

of health personnel and experience of working with

such personnel;

e experience of working together with members of

other professions in the health sector.

www.nmc.org.uk Programme standards: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes 15

7. Formal qualiﬁcations as a nurse responsible for general care

shall provide evidence that the professional in question is

able to apply at least the following competences regardless

of whether the training took place at universities, higher

education institutions of a level recognised as equivalent or at

vocational schools or through vocational training programmes

for nursing:

a competence to independently diagnose the nursing care

required using current theoretical and clinical knowledge

and to plan, organise and implement nursing care when

treating patients on the basis of the knowledge and

skills acquired in accordance with points (a), (b) and (c) of

paragraph 6 in order to improve professional practice;

b competence to work together eectively with other actors

in the health sector, including participation in the practical

training of health personnel on the basis of the knowledge

and skills acquired in accordance with points (d) and (e) of

paragraph 6;

c competence to empower individuals, families and groups

towards healthy lifestyles and self-care on the basis of

the knowledge and skills acquired in accordance with points

(a) and (b) of paragraph 6;

d competence to independently initiate life-preserving

immediate measures and to carry out measures in crises

and disaster situations;

e competence to independently give advice to, instruct and

support persons needing care and their attachment ﬁgures;

f competence to independently assure the quality of, and to

evaluate, nursing care;

g competence to comprehensively communicate

professionally and to cooperate with members of other

professions in the health sector;

h competence to analyse the care quality to improve their

own professional practice as a nurse responsible for

general care.

www.nmc.org.uk Programme standards: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes 16

V.2. NURSE RESPONSIBLE FOR GENERAL CARE

5.2.1. Training programme for nurses responsible for general care

The training leading to the award of a formal qualiﬁcation of nurses

responsible for general care shall consist of the following two parts.

A. Theoretical instruction

a. Nursing:

• Nature and ethics of the profession

• General principles of health and nursing

• Nursing principles in relation to:

• general and specialist medicine

• general and specialist surgery

• child care and paediatrics

• maternity care

• mental health and psychiatry

• care of the old and geriatrics

b. Basic sciences:

• Anatomy and physiology

• Pathology

• Bacteriology, virology and parasitology

• Biophysics, biochemistry and radiology

• Dietetics

• Hygiene:

• preventive medicine

• health education

• Pharmacology

c. Social sciences:

• Sociology

• Psychology

• Principles of administration

• Principles of teaching

• Social and health legislation

• Legal aspects of nursing

B. Clinical instruction

• Nursing in relation to:

• general and specialist medicine

• general and specialist surgery

• child care and paediatrics

• maternity care

• mental health and psychiatry

• care of the old and geriatrics

• home nursing

One or more of these subjects may be taught in the context of the

other disciplines or in conjunction therewith.

The theoretical instruction must be weighted and coordinated with

the clinical instruction in such a way that the knowledge and skills

referred to in this Annex can be acquired in an adequate fashion.

www.nmc.org.uk Programme standards: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes 17

Glossary

Reasonable adjustments:

where a student requires

reasonable adjustment related

to a disability or adjustment

relating to any protected

characteristics as set out in

the equalities and human

rights legislation.

Approved education

institutions (AEIs): the status

awarded by the NMC to an

institution, or part of an

institution, or combination

of institutions that works

in partnership with practice

placement and work placed

learning providers. AEIs will

have provided us with

assurance that they are

accountable and capable of

delivering NMC approved

education programmes.

Educators: in the context

of the NMC Standards

for education and training

educators are those who

deliver, support, supervise and

assess theory, practice and/or

work placed learning.

Equalities and human

rights legislation: prohibits

unlawful discrimination on the

basis of age, disability, gender

reassignment, marriage and

civil partnership, pregnancy

and maternity, race, religion or

belief, sex, sexual orientation

and other characteristics.

Anti-discrimination laws

can be country speciﬁc and

there are some legally binding

international protections.

(Good) health and

character requirements: as

stipulated in NMC legislation

(Articles 9(2)(b) and 5(2)(b) of

the Nursing and Midwifery

Order 2001) ‘good health’

means that the applicant is

capable of safe and eective

practice either with or without

reasonable adjustments. It

does not mean the absence of

a health condition or disability.

Each applicant seeking

admission to the register

or to renew registration,

whether or not they have been

registered before, is required

to declare any pending charges,

convictions, police cautions and

determinations made by other

regulatory bodies.

People: individuals or groups

who receive services from

nurses and midwives, healthy

and sick people, parents,

children, families, carers,

representatives, also including

educators and students and

others within and outside the

learning environment.

Practice learning partners:

organisations that provide

practice learning necessary

for supporting pre-registration

and post- registration

students in meeting

proﬁciencies and

programme outcomes.

www.nmc.org.uk Programme standards: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes 18

Quality assurance: NMC

processes for making sure

all AEIs and their approved

education programmes comply

with our standards.

Recognition of

prior learning (RPL):

a process that enables previous

certiﬁcated or experiential

learning to be recognised and

accepted as meeting some

programme outcomes, this

means it includes both theory

and practice achievement.

Simulation: an artiﬁcial

representation of a real

world practice scenario that

supports student development

through experiential learning

with the opportunity for

repetition, feedback,

evaluation and reﬂection.

Eective simulation facilitates

safety by enhancing knowledge,

behaviours and skills.

Stakeholders: any person,

group or organisation that

has an interest or concern

in the situation in question,

and may aect or is aected

by its actions, objectives or

policies. In the context of the

NMC Standards for education

and training this includes

students, educators, partner

organisations, service users,

carers, employers, other

professionals, other regulators

and education commissioners.

Student: any individual enrolled

onto an NMC approved

education programme whether

full time or less than full time.

Supernumerary:

students in practice or work

placed learning must be

supported to learn without

being counted as part of the

stang required for safe and

eective care in that setting.

For apprentices, this includes

practice placements within

their place of employment; this

does not apply when they are

working in their substantive

role. Placements should enable

students to learn to provide

safe and eective care, not

merely to observe; students

can and should add real value to

care. The contribution students

make will increase over time

as they gain proﬁciency and

they will continue to beneﬁt

from ongoing guidance and

feedback. Once a student

has demonstrated that

they are proﬁcient, they

should be able to fulﬁl tasks

without direct oversight.

The level of supervision a

student needs is based on the

professional judgement of

their supervisors, taking into

account any associated risks

and the students’ knowledge,

proﬁciency and conﬁdence.

www.nmc.org.uk Programme standards: Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes 19

The role of the

Nursing and

Midwifery Council

What we do

We regulate nurses and midwives in the UK. We exist to

protect the public. We set standards of education, training,

conduct and performance so that nurses and midwives can

deliver high quality care throughout their careers.

We make sure nurses and midwives keep their skills and

knowledge up to date and uphold our professional standards.

We have clear and transparent processes to investigate

nurses and midwives who fall short of our standards.

We maintain a register of nurses and midwives allowed to

practise in the UK.

These standards were approved by Council at their

meeting on 28 March 2018.