NMC puts forward proposals for advanced practice regulation

The regulator will seek approval from its governing council next week on the different approaches it could take for the regulation of advanced practice nursing and midwifery across the UK.

“Regulation is about enabling the public to have consistently high expectations and experiences of working with professionals across settings and locations”

Sam Foster

The move has been welcomed by chief nursing and midwifery officers from across the UK, who said that regulation would give patients confidence in advanced practitioners.

The proposals come as part of an ongoing review into advanced practice by the NMC, which has so far consisted of an independent report being published and a steering group being set up.

The main finding so far is that there is great variation in how professionals enter and undertake advanced practice roles across the UK.

Currently, there is no single definition of what an advanced practitioner is, what education they should receive, and the skills they should have.

The review found that this variation could potentially impact on confidence and trust in professionals in these roles, as the public may not understand the remit of the role and what it means for their care.

As a result, stakeholders have concluded that additional NMC regulation would help reduce these risks.

A series of proposals will be taken to the NMC’s governing council on 27 March, which the regulator said could either be developed at the same time or introduced in a phased way.

The recommendations include developing standards of proficiency for advanced level practice and associated programme standards.

In addition, the NMC has suggested developing a UK-wide advanced practice principles framework that incorporates a shared position or definition of advanced level practice.

It has also recommended that advanced level practice requirements should be included in the wider reviews of revalidation and the NMC code of conduct, scheduled for 2025-26.

Should the NMC’s governing council agree on the approaches, the regulator said it would also plan for an approach to recognising professionals with existing advanced practice qualifications.

Subject to approval, the NMC said it would undertake further engagement with stakeholders and also run a public consultation on the final proposals.

Sam Foster

Sam Foster, executive nurse director of professional practice, said: “Advanced practitioners bring significant knowledge, skills, and experience to provide person-centred care.

“Regulation is about enabling the public to have consistently high expectations and experiences of working with professionals across settings and locations.

“If council gives us the green light to proceed with the additional regulation of advanced practice, we’ll continue to collaborate with the public, professionals and stakeholders to refine proposals that will support advanced nursing and midwifery practitioners to give the best possible care.”

In a joint statement, the chief nursing and midwifery officers for the four UK countries, said it was “welcome news” that the NMC was looking to develop approaches to regulate advanced practitioners.

They said: “These professionals make a significant and positive impact on people’s lives every day, and it’s vital that everyone receiving care from them has confidence in their knowledge, skills and experience.

“If the recommendations to the NMC's governing council are approved, we look forward to further collaboration on this important matter and would encourage others to get involved where possible.

“Gathering views from across all four nations of the UK will be key to ensuring any proposed changes are in the best interests of the public and everyone receiving care.”