NMC resolving cases “at fastest rate in over five years”

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is resolving Fitness to Practise (FtP) cases at its fastest pace in more than five years, according to newly published figures.

In January 2026, the regulator’s key timeliness measure—the rolling average of fitness to practise cases completed within 15 months—rose to 74%, its highest level since December 2020. This marks a further improvement on 73.3% in December 2025 and a substantial rise from 65.9% in January 2025.

The NMC has sustained these gains despite consistently high numbers of new concerns being raised. Average monthly referrals have increased to 590, up from around 540 at the start of 2025. In January alone, the regulator received 617 new referrals, compared with 595 in December.

The latest data also show a significant uplift in casework activity: fitness to practise teams made 972 decisions in January—more than 200 above December’s total of 765.

Lesley Maslen, Executive Director of Professional Regulation, said:

“We’ve started 2026 by maintaining our upward trajectory in the timeliness of our Fitness to Practise casework.

Thanks to the continued hard work of our teams, we’re now resolving cases at the fastest rate in more than five years, meaning people are seeing quicker decisions about the cases they’re involved in.

It’s important we don’t get complacent, as we know not everyone going through our processes shares the same experience, while we’re also still facing high demand.

We’re determined to meet this challenge, as we continue to build a new NMC that has a faster, fairer and more compassionate FtP process for the benefit of everyone involved.”

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