26/01/2026
Make sure you have your say today 😊💜🎉
Today we launch two important consultations asking for your views on changes we are proposing at the NMC: firstly, changes to registration fees and secondly on improvements to our Fitness to Practise process to make it faster and fairer.
We are proposing to raise the annual registration fee for the first time in 10 years - by the equivalent of £1.92 per month.
Being mindful of cost-of-living pressures, we have not raised the main registration fee since 2015. At the same time as keeping the fee flat, our responsibilities have increased significantly, and the complexity of our work has grown.
We are now the regulator of 1 in 50 working-age people in the UK and a larger number of nursing and midwifery professionals than ever – with the register having increased from 686,782 in 2015 to 853,707 in 2025. This includes the introduction of nursing associates, a new profession in England since 2018.
The proposed increase would raise the annual registration fee from £120 to £143. If the fee had risen in line with inflation since it was last set, it would now stand at £166.
For registrants who pay basic rate tax at 20% and claim tax relief on their fee, this would mean the main fee effectively becomes £114.40 per year – the equivalent of £1.53 more per month for those who already claim tax relief.
Meanwhile, we are also consulting on improving our Fitness to Practise process. The changes we are proposing to the Fitness to Practise rules include measures to:
• Appoint legally qualified chairs to practice committee panels
• Strengthen our case management powers
• Provide better support for vulnerable witnesses giving evidence in our proceedings.
We believe these changes will help make Fitness to Practise more timely and fairer.
We encourage everyone have their say, whether you are a nurse, midwife or nursing associate on the register, a student, a member of the public or someone involved in the wider health and social care sector.
Both consultations open today - 3 November - and close on 26 January.
Please make sure to share your feedback through the consultation webpage, as we can’t capture consultation responses through social media comments.
Read more about our consultation on proposals to increase our registration fees: https://www.nmc.org.uk/about-us/consultations/fees-consultation/
Read more about our consultation on supporting improvements to our Fitness to Practise process: https://www.nmc.org.uk/about-us/consultations/improvements-to-our-fitness-to-practise-process/
