Government launches call for evidence on protecting the ‘nurse’ title as regulators urge wider legislative reform

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has welcomed the UK Government’s new call for evidence on which roles and professions should be legally permitted to use the title nurse, describing it as a significant step toward long‑awaited legislative modernisation.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) opened the call for evidence this week as part of its broader programme to update professional regulation. Ministers are seeking views on how the title should be protected in law, who should be able to use it, and what safeguards are needed to maintain public trust.

The NMC has repeatedly argued that statutory protection is overdue. Under current legislation, only the title registered nurse is protected, meaning individuals can describe themselves as a nurse without being on the NMC register unless they intend to deceive. The regulator says this gap undermines public confidence and creates risks in an increasingly complex health and care landscape.

Emma Westcott, Executive Director of Strategy and Insight, said the call for evidence marks “an important step” toward ensuring that anyone using the title meets the profession’s high standards. She added that modernising the NMC’s underpinning legislation would finally allow the regulator to introduce full protection of the title.

The Government’s move sits within a wider consultation on reforming healthcare regulation, which has prompted strong responses from across the sector. The General Medical Council (GMC) has warned that poorly designed reforms could create patient‑safety risks, particularly if regulators are required to operate under inconsistent or overly restrictive frameworks. The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) has also set out its position, calling for coherent, cross‑regulator legislation that strengthens accountability and avoids fragmentation.

For the NMC, protecting the nurse title is one part of a broader legislative overhaul it has been seeking for years. The regulator says outdated and inflexible rules limit its ability to run a modern, efficient fitness to practise system and to respond quickly to emerging workforce and safety issues. The Government has committed to working with the NMC on legislative reform later this year.

The call for evidence is open to registrants, employers, educators, patients and the public. Responses will inform the Government’s next steps before any draft legislation is developed.