The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has reported record high numbers of disciplinary case screenings, and a further speeding up of its case resolution timeline.
The reported improvements in case resolution times come as the regulator continues to face scrutiny about the way it operates.
In June this year, the NMC said around 70.4% of fitness to practise (FtP) cases were being resolved within 15 months, representing an increase of around 10 percentage points on July 2023.
“We are seeing steady improvements”
Lesley Maslen
Meanwhile, in May this year, 809 screening decisions were made in what was a new monthly high, the regulator said.
Last November, the regulator reported that it was receiving record number of referrals to the process, just months after a major report into the organisation raised concerns about how FtP was being handled
Lesley Maslen, the NMC’s executive director of professional regulation, welcomed the improvements in the regulatory performance.
She said: “More efficient, timely decisions mean people spend less time in our processes, which can understandably be a distressing and uncertain experience.
“Thanks to the dedication of our teams, we are seeing steady improvements, including another record-breaking month in screening,” she added.
The NMC said it had “focused its efforts” on speeding up decisions, and resolving cases at an earlier stage, such as during screening.
It reported that, in the 12 months leading up to June 2025, an average 928 decisions per month were being made across the FtP system, an increase from 777 in the previous year.
Ms Maslen acknowledged, however, that “challenges remain” regarding FtP, especially with referral numbers.
“We are sharpening our focus on tackling the pressure points we are seeing, including high volumes of referrals and challenges at the investigations stage.
“There is more to do before every person engaging with us feels a genuine shift in experience,” she said.
“We remain focused on strengthening the FtP process, which is a key part of transforming the NMC into the fair, effective and trusted regulator that professionals and the public deserve.”
Further details about the current state of FtP at the regulator may be discussed at the NMC’s next council meeting, which is due to take place later this week.
Another report recently flagged “serious issues” in the NMC’s performance, including delays in handling FtP cases, problems in quality assuring education providers and maintaining the integrity of the register.
The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) – which oversees 10 healthcare regulators in England – last month published its severely delayed annual performance review of the NMC for 2023-24.
In the period analysed, 1 July 2023 to 31 December 2024, the super-regulator found that the NMC had met only 11 of the 18 regulatory standards, reflecting the high-profile challenges it faced during that time.
