Guide to NMC revalidation

Nursing revalidation is required in the UK in order to practice as a nurse or midwife. To maintain their registration with the NMC, nurses must go through the revalidation process every 3 years. NMC revalidation confirms that your nursing practice is safe and effective. It also pushes you to reflect on how you demonstrate the NMC code (the professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives and nursing associates). 

Locum nurses may need to take a more proactive approach to their NMC revalidation, as they don’t have a line manager or regular patients, and their working hours and settings are constantly changing.  

Don’t get caught out 

– If you know your NMC registration expiry date is approaching, remember that the deadline to re-apply is the first day of the month. Eg. You need to re-apply on the 1st May if your renewal date is the 31st May.  

-The NMC does not require you to submit evidence of the revalidation process. According to the RCN “you will make a series of declarations that you have met each of the requirements. You will need to provide the NMC with information about your practice, as well as the details of your confirmer and reflective discussion partner.”  

-There is an annual fee of £120 which is essential to renewing your NMC registration. You can claim tax relief on this via HMRC.  

The Requirements 

450 Practice Hours 

In the 3 years between revalidations, you must have worked 450 hours. This is the equivalent of 12.5 hours per month. Work which counts towards this figure is that which utilises your knowledge and skills as a Registered Nurse. The NMC states that “this may include providing direct care to patients, but can also include managing teams, teaching others and helping to shape of run a care service.” If you do not complete the required number of practice hours, you must finish an NMC-approved return to practice programme before your revalidation is due.  

As a locum, your working hours will be particularly inconsistent, with different working hours with each employer. Maintain accurate records throughout the 3-year period between revalidations and keep them somewhere safe. It is likely you will do this anyway for tax and payment purposes so you can use the same evidence in your revalidation.  

35 Hours of CPD including 20 hours of participatory learning 

Continuing Professional Development is familiar to all seasoned nurses. In order not to lose key evidence, maintain accurate records of your CPD which includes the following information:  

-Dates of CPD activity and number of hours 

-Topic and how it relates to your practice 

-Method 

-Which part of the NMC code is it relevant to?  

-Evidence of the CPD activity  

Participatory learning means that it must involve interaction with at least one other professional, either virtually or in person.  

Five pieces of feedback related to your practice  

Feedback can be: 

-Written or verbal 

-Formal or informal.  

-From patients, colleagues and/or management.  

It is best to receive feedback from both patients and colleagues from a variety of settings as this will maximise your potential to improve your practice in different ways. In your records, explain how the feedback you have received has led you to grow and improve. 

You should record any feedback you receive without including information which can identify an individual.  

Locum nurses do not have appraisals and performance reviews so you will likely have to ask for feedback. Sometimes healthcare organisations will provide feedback to nursing agencies so this could be worth discussing.  

Receiving patient feedback: If there is a setting you are more familiar with, you may be comfortable asking if they have an existing patient feedback system and speak to those support staff that you have a positive professional relationship with whether they can hand out feedback forms to patients. Try to make sure patients asked for feedback are random and anonymous to avoid personal bias. You can also send feedback forms to an independent survey provider to be processed.  

Five written reflective accounts and a reflective discussion  

The NMC reflection process is an opportunity to identify areas of improvement in your practice and understand your greatest skills.  

Each of the five reflective accounts that you record must refer to one of the following: 

-A CPD activity  

-An instance in your own professional practice 

-A piece of feedback you have received in relation to your practice 

When recording these accounts on the approved form, ask yourself these questions:  

-What did I learn?  

-How did it help to improve my practice?  

-How has this helped me to uphold the NMC code?  

A related revalidation requirement is the reflective discussion with an NMC registrant of your choice which covers the written reflective accounts. Ensure that they sign the approved form and provide all the details required.  

 During your reflection you may also want to keep in mind the 6 C’s of Nursing. 

Health and character declaration 

No evidence is required. Simply complete the declaration in your application.  

Professional Indemnity Arrangement 

Again, no evidence is required. Locums will need to arrange their own professional indemnity cover.  

Confirmation  

If your confirmer is an NMC registrant, the confirmation can take place at the same time as your reflective discussion. They will look at your portfolio of evidence and confirm that you are ready for revalidation.  

Locum nurses do not have a regular line manager to act as confirmer, so consider which senior NMC registrant in your professional network not only knows you well enough to do this, but will prompt you to meet your best standards.  

If you are a locum nurse looking for flexible work, register with us to be the first to hear about our latest vacancies. Start work as soon as you are compliant. See our vacancies here.