From April 2016, all nurses and midwives will have to prove every three years that they are practising safely and effectively.
The new process of revalidation has been described as one of the biggest changes within the profession in its history.
From April 2016, all nurses and midwives will have to demonstrate that they “practise safely and effectively” every time they renew their place on the register of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) under a new system of revalidation to allow them to continue to work in the UK.
The process means that nurses and midwives will have to revalidate every three years when they apply to renew their place on the NMC register.
They will be asked for various pieces of information including:
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The need to provide evidence of 450 hours of practice (950 if they are also a midwife)
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Provide evidence of 35 hours of continued professional development (CPD)
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Provide 5 written reflections based on four themes in a new code of professional standards
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Provide evidence of 5 pieces of practice related feedback from others including patients, relatives and colleagues
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Reflective discussion with another nurse or midwife
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Health and character declaration
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Professional indemnity arrangement
The NMC requires that nurses and midwives set up an NMC online account so they can find out the deadline for revalidation and when their registration expires.. Help is being provided by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), which has a number of advice leaflets and CPD resources on its website under a special learning zone.