Revalidation of Nurses and Midwives

The medical revalidation of doctors became a statutory obligation over a year ago and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (‘NMC’) launched their consultation on revalidation of nurses and midwives in January this year. This is part of the Department of Health and the Professional Standards Authority’s proposal to ensure that all healthcare professionals prove that they are fit to continue to practise. The purpose of revalidation is to protect the public and increase confidence in health care professionals.

Nurses and midwives will have to demonstrate their fitness to practise with NMC every three years during the renewal process in order to remain on the register. The revalidation of nurses and midwives will differ from the General Medical Council’s implementation of the revalidation as there will be no designated bodies or responsible officers. Instead of creating new legislation the NMC will revise their code to incorporate revalidation. Nurses and midwives will have to prove that they have adhered to the NMC’s code by:

a) Confirming that they have practised for 450 hours in the last 3 years
b) Completing the required amount of continuous professional development
c) Obtaining feedback from patients, colleagues and other relevant persons together with a declaration from a third party that the nurse or midwife is fit to practise.

Revalidation should commence by the end of 2015. The NMC concluded the first part of the consultation on 31st March 2014. The second part of the consultation will commence in May 2014.
The first part of the consultation was centred around how revalidation could be effectively applied in different employment settings whilst also considering the nurses and midwives scope of practice. The REC responded to the consultation and highlighted that the revalidation process must take into account agency workers particularly in relation to the peripatetic nature of their work. Some of the other points the REC raised in the consultation include:

• Considering possible gaps in employment as a result of the transient nature of agency nurses and midwives work
• Clarifying who is best placed to conduct their appraisals
• The key role that hospitals and trusts should play in providing feedback or exit reports
• Consideration should be given to nurses and midwives who spend time working overseas
• Time and opportunities for professional development
• The onus on nurses and midwives themselves to ensure that they meet the revalidation requirements  and standards in the  NMC Code

The REC will continue to engage with the NMC, attend stakeholder forums and feed into discussions around the code to ensure that the revalidation process is workable for both substantive and temporary nurses and midwives. 

For more information on revalidation go to the NMC website. For more information on the latest legal news – you can read the REC’s Legal Bulletin.