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New NMC code comes into effect

Nurses and midwives must now practise in line with revised code

The new code that sets professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses and midwives comes into force today. 

Around 680,000 registrants with the Nursing and Midwifery Council must practise in line with the revised code, which was last updated in 2008.

The Code sets out what the public can expect from good nursing care, with clauses on nutrition, hydration and other fundamentals of care, the need to be open and candid about all aspects of care, and the responsible use of social media. 

NMC chief executive Jackie Smith said: ‘This is a landmark day for every nurse and midwife in the UK, and the people they care for.

‘The Code is fundamental to protecting the public. It sets out what patients want from nurses and midwives, and puts public expectations at the centre of professional practice.’

The new code is central to revalidation, the process through which nurses will demonstrate their fitness to practise every three years.

Revalidation will be launched in October, and the first nurses to be validated will be those renewing their registrations in April 2016. Registrants will have to demonstrate that they have reflected on their performance against the Code.

To read more about revalidation click here

To view the Code click here