New NMC principles for advanced practice

The Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) has unveiled its principles for advanced practice which, the nursing regulator said, “for the first time sets out the regulator’s expectations to support nurses and midwives working at an advanced level.”

What the principles include

According to recent research, there is a lack of clarity around advanced practice and what it means. That’s why the principles include a regulatory definition, which seeks to achieve consistency in professional and public understanding of the role. To ensure there is clarity and accessibility for these audiences, the principles include two versions of the definition – one for the public and one for professionals.

The principles also set key expectations for advanced practitioners, including autonomous decision-making, managing risk and uncertainty, and working within inter-professional teams. They highlight the importance of embedding equity, equality, diversity, and inclusion in practice to ensure that care meets the needs of people from diverse communities.

Supporting employers and the public

The principles support employers in recognising and developing advanced level practice, ensuring advanced practitioners are working within safe, well supported and governed structures. They also explain what the public can expect from advanced practitioners and the benefits they bring to health and social care services.

While these principles are advisory, we strongly encourage professionals and employers to use them to ensure people receive the best possible care.

Next steps

If approved by Council, we’ll publish the principles in English and Welsh during May. We’ll also build on the principles to help develop our new advanced practice education programme standards and standards of proficiency in 2027.

In the meantime, we will consider requirements for advanced practitioners as part of the Code and revalidation reviews for 2025-26. We will also continue to explore the transitional arrangements for existing advanced practitioners.

We will work closely with professionals, employers, educators and other regulators to support the implementation of these principles.

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