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COVID-19: NMC widens its appeal for nurses to join temporary register

Invitation extended to those who left the register in the past four to five years and those who trained overseas

Picture shows an older woman reading a letter. The NMC has extended its appealing to those who have left in the past four or five years and those who trained overseas to join its COVID-19 temporary register.
Picture: iStock

Nurses who trained overseas and those who have left the profession in the past four or five years are the latest to be asked to join the Nursing and Midwifery Council's (NMC) COVID-19 temporary register.

The NMC will contact 40,000 nurses and midwives who have left the register in the past four or five years asking them to rejoin the workforce. This may include nurses who have started but not completed return-to-practice programmes.

Overseas- trained nurses who have already begun registration process

It will also extend the invitation to nearly 1,800 overseas-trained nurses and midwives who have completed their NMC registration, with the exception of the final clinical examination.

This follows the NMC’s previous call for nurses and midwives who left in the past three years to join the COVID-19 register.

As of 27 March, 7,000 former nurses and midwives across the UK had joined the temporary register.

‘Seeing such dedication and heroic efforts being made daily by so many will be remembered for generations to come’

Andrea Sutcliffe, NMC chief executive

NMC chief executive Andrea Sutcliffe said more nurses will be needed as the pandemic continues. ‘In this time of incredible need, I am deeply indebted to everyone working across health and social care for their incredible and selfless response to COVID-19,’ she said.

‘These are truly unprecedented times, and seeing such dedication and heroic efforts being made daily by so many will be remembered for generations to come,’ Ms Sutcliffe added.

In response to the NMC changes, health and social care secretary Matt Hancock said: ‘The response has been amazing so far, with thousands coming forward to help us overcome the biggest challenge our NHS has ever faced.’


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