High Court dismisses nurse’s appeal against NMC fitness to practise decision – Vernon v NMC

The High Court has dismissed an appeal brought by a registered nurse against a decision of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in Vernon v Nursing and Midwifery Council [2026] EWHC 1953 (Admin), upholding the regulator’s fitness to practise determination.

The appeal was heard in the Administrative Court, with judgment handed down on 28 July 2026. The court considered whether the NMC Fitness to Practise Committee had erred in law or reached conclusions that were wrong when determining the nurse’s fitness to practise.

After reviewing the grounds of appeal, the High Court concluded that the NMC panel had been entitled to reach its findings on the evidence before it. The judge found no material error of law or procedural unfairness that would justify interfering with the regulator’s decision.

In dismissing the appeal, the court reaffirmed the well-established principle that appellate courts should exercise restraint when reviewing specialist fitness to practise tribunals. The judgment emphasised that such panels possess particular expertise in assessing professional conduct, impairment, and sanction, and that the court will not substitute its own view simply because it may have reached a different conclusion.

The High Court therefore upheld the NMC’s decision, leaving the panel’s findings and regulatory outcome in place.