The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has reduced its fitness to practise caseload by 14% last year, according to its annual fitness to practise report.

The Nursing Times reported that the report also revealed:

  • the NMC received 5,068 new concerns in 2022-23, compared to 5,291 the previous year – a 4% drop.
  •  despite the growing size of the nursing and midwifery register, a smaller proportion of registered professions were being referred to the NMC.
  • the regulator received a decreased number of concerns raised by members of the public, while employer concerns slightly increased.
Despite the drop in fitness to practise cases, the NMC still missed its annual target.
The Nursing Times reported that:

“The NMC has committed to reducing its fitness to practise caseload to 4,000 by 2024, after failing to meet the same target at the end of 2023.

“The latest fitness to practise report described reducing the fitness to practise caseload as “a number one corporate priority” as the NMC enters the fourth year of its 2020-25 strategy.”

Lesley Maslen, NMC Executive Director of Professional Regulation, told Nursing Times that there was still “lots for [the NMC] to do”, saying:

“In 2023–24 we’ll continue with our determination, supported by a range of initiatives, to reduce the caseload safely and swiftly.

“These include strengthening our key casework processes, trialling and piloting new ways of working and improving timeliness across the board.

“Fairness and consistency in our work is key to maintaining public confidence, and we’re committed to ensuring this happens.”

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