NMC reports strongest fitness to practise performance in five years

New figures published on 19 January 2026 show that the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has sustained its best Fitness to Practise (FtP) performance in nearly half a decade, with key timeliness measures continuing to improve throughout 2025.

The regulator’s rolling average for resolving fitness to practise cases within 15 months reached 73.3% in December 2025 — the highest level recorded since February 2021. This represents a steady rise from 72.3% in November 2025 and a significant improvement on the 65.5% reported in December 2024.

Screening performance also strengthened. The NMC reduced its caseload at the initial assessment stage by 19.5% over the year, falling from 2,416 cases in March 2025 to 1,944 by December. At the Investigations stage, teams progressed an average of 151 cases per month between April and December 2025, up from 111 per month during the same period in 2024.

These gains were achieved despite a continued rise in referrals. The 12‑month average for new concerns reached 590 per month in December 2025, compared with 546 per month in March 2025.

Lesley Maslen, Executive Director of Professional Regulation, said the progress reflects sustained effort across fitness to practise teams and should translate into a better experience for those involved in cases.

She said:

“Our teams across Fitness to Practise have been working very hard, so it’s great to see that our key timeliness metric has continued to improve. Importantly, that means more people who are involved in fitness to practise seeing their case progressing or resolving sooner.

“Maintaining a high performance in our decision-making is vital for people to experience a faster and fairer process. We are making a positive difference, but we know this isn’t the reality for everyone. That’s why we will sharpen our work at the Investigation and Adjudication stages while continuing to deliver a more compassionate and effective service.”

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