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NMC fee: nurses need discount to help with cost of living – union

Unison appeals to NMC to cut its registration fee for the sake of struggling nurses, but regulator says it is already pinning the charge at its 2015 level
Illustration depicts fee cut

Unison appeals to NMC to cut its registration fee for the sake of struggling nurses, but regulator says it is already pinning the charge at its 2015 level

Illustration depicits fee cut
Picture: iStock

The Nursing and Midwifery Council should cut its annual fee to help registrants struggling with rising petrol prices and household bills, a union leader urged.

Unison head of professional services Gail Adams made the appeal to the NMC on 26 May. In a tweet, she said she raised the issue at a meeting in Derry/Londonderry.

NMC fee has not kept pace with inflation

The fee has remained at £120 since 2015 and NMC chief executive Andrea Sutcliffe while the money was vital to fund the regulation of the profession, any increase would be avoided for as long as possible.

‘The registration fee is our primary source of income, and allows us to be an independent regulator,’ she said.

‘We’ve kept the fee at £120 since 2015, and we’re committed to keeping it at that level for as long as possible. Our council recently agreed there’ll be no increase for 2022-2023.’

Had the fee risen in line with inflation, the annual fee for 2022-23 it would now stand at £142, yielding an £16 million in income for the regulator, NMC council papers for March reveal.

Nursing unions should cut their subscriptions too

Many nurses tweeted their support for a fee cut, but one nurse suggested unions could lead by example and reduce their own annual fees too.

The NMC said any nurses struggling to meet the fee can split their payment across four direct debits, or apply for extra time to pay it off.

Measures to help ease the pain of paying

Ms Sutcliffe added: ‘Cost of living and the rate of inflation are worrying, including for the people on our register. And we know that paying the full fee in one go can be difficult.

‘We’ve brought in ways to make it easier, for example professionals can split the cost over a quarterly direct debit. We also offer a bit of extra time for people who’ve experienced a significant unexpected loss of income or increase in expenses.’


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