Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what measures his Department has put in place for healthcare workers who are shielding from covid-19 and unable to complete their three year nursing revalidation.

As the independent regulator of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom and nursing associates in England, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is responsible for nurse revalidation.

On 30 March 2020, the Department laid a statutory instrument allowing the NMC to respond to the pandemic by adapting some of its operating procedures. To support registrants due to revalidate from March 2020, the NMC has extended revalidation timeframes and broadened the criteria for demonstrating continuing professional development. These changes aim to minimise the incidence of lapsed registrations during COVID-19 whilst maintaining public safety and confidence in the nursing profession.