Posted 29 March 2022 - 11:48
Posted 29 March 2022 - 11:48
News
Temporary NMC registrants’ deadline to move to permanent register
Nurse regulator reveals timetable for closing register set up to boost nurse workforce in pandemic
Nurse regulator reveals timetable for closing temporary register set up early in COVID pandemic to boost the nurse workforce
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has six months to transfer nurses from its temporary register to its permanent register as it begins to wind down pandemic measures.
The temporary register closed to new applications on 24 March, but will continue to be active until 30 September. This means nurses on the temporary register will be allowed to continue in practice for the next six months but will need to transfer to the permanent register if they wish to continue working past September.
As of the end of February, there were 15,292 temporary NMC registrants, of whom 14,089 were nurses and 196 were dual-qualified nurses and midwives.
Those on the temporary register are not subject to the normal NMC fees or revalidation and fitness to practise requirements. This register opened in March 2020 to boost workforce numbers as part of the emergency response to COVID-19 but is no longer deemed necessary.
Who joined the temporary register during COVID-19?
In March 2020, different groups were invited join the temporary register, including international nurses and those who had retired or had left the register. They included:
- Nurses and midwives who left the permanent register between 1 March 2017 and 29 February 2020
- Overseas candidates who had completed all parts of their NMC registration process except their OSCE (objective structured clinical examination)
- Nurses and midwives who left the permanent register between 1 March 2015 and 28 February 2017
Easing transition away from temporary registration
The NMC had asked the government for up to six months to allow temporary registrants time to move to the permanent register if they wish.
‘We will continue to liaise with the government, temporary-registered nurses and midwives and the sector to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible’, papers published ahead of the regulator’s 30 March council meeting state.
All hours worked by nurses on the temporary register will count as practice hours for admission to the permanent register, as will any hours worked while on the permanent register in the past three to five years.
Those who do not fulfil the required hours but seek permanent registration will be able to complete a return to practice programme or undertake a test of competence.
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