Nurse numbers: time’s up for the temporary register, so what now?

The planned closure of the COVID-19 temporary register in September 2022 raises another red flag – more permanent solutions to nurse shortages must be found

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has updated its profile of the nursing profession, based on current registrants.

Its 2022 report lists 750,000 registrants, and much of its focus is on the big increase in international recruits. But other factors also deserve attention, because they have implications for the overall availability of practising nurses in the UK.

Government confirms temporary register will close later this year

One change that will affect nurse availability is the closing of the NMC temporary register.

This was set up during the early