Committee publication · Correspondence · 10 June 2026
Correspondence from NMC- PSA Performance Review
Summary
The NMC writes to the Health and Social Care Committee following the Professional Standards Authority's 2025 performance review. The NMC met only 9 of 18 Standards of Good Regulation. Under new leadership appointed in 2025, the NMC acknowledges findings and is implementing a three-year transformation programme addressing culture, Fitness to Practise timeliness (now 74% resolved within 15 months), and a historical health-and-character-declarations failure affecting 18,060 applications and 421 registrants under investigation.
Key findings
- NMC met only 9 of 18 PSA Standards of Good Regulation during 2025, though PSA recognised new leadership's commitment to change and stabilisation of senior management.
- Discovery of significant historical issue: health and character declarations mishandled for 12+ years, affecting 18,060 registration and revalidation applications; 421 registrants now being assessed for safe practice capability.
- Fitness to Practise timeliness improved to 74% of cases resolved within 15 months (best since late 2020); 84 concrete actions published to eliminate ethnicity and gender disparities by 2030.
- New senior leadership appointed: Ron Barclay-Smith as Chair (April 2025) and Paul Rees MBE as substantive Chief Executive (July 2025); 18 colleagues exited for bullying, harassment, or racist behaviour in past 18 months.
- Anti-racism principles for nursing and midwifery education and practice launched, endorsed by UK Government, Royal College of Nursing, Royal College of Midwives, and NHS Race and Health Observatory.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), Professional Standards Authority (PSA), Ron Barclay-Smith, Paul Rees MBE, Layla Moran MP, Royal College of Nursing, Royal College of Midwives, NHS Race and Health Observatory
Notable line
“While the issue represented an unacceptable historical failing, the speed, transparency and thoroughness of our response reflected the new leadership team's commitment to confronting difficult issues directly and ensuring that public …”
Key Quotes
“We recognise that the NMC has taken a number of significant steps to understand the issues within the organisation and to improve its operational performance. We are encouraged by the new leadership's intentions and commitment to change.”
“… we are not satisfied with meeting only nine of the 18 Standards of Good Regulation. We are therefore developing a comprehensive improvement plan to address every recommendation in the report and to accelerate progress …”
“A colleague felt empowered to speak up, resulting in the discovery of a serious legacy issue that had remained undetected for more than 12 years.”
“Our timeliness rate is now at its best level since late 2020, with around 74% of cases being resolved within 15 months end-to-end.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗