Today there are 758 303 nurses and midwives currently registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). In 2017, the NMC published a toolkit, ‘Enabling Professionalism in Nursing and Midwifery Practice’ in which they define professionalism in nursing and midwifery as follows:
‘Professionalism is characterised by the autonomous evidence-based decision making by members of an occupation who share the same values and education. Professionalism in nursing and midwifery is realised through purposeful relationships and underpinned by environments that facilitate professional practice. Professional nurses and midwives demonstrate and embrace accountability for their actions.’
The NMC envisions that the toolkit might reduce the numbers of fitness to practise cases it adjudicates, which occur because of unprofessional behaviour. The NMC received 5291 new fitness to practice referrals for the year 2021-2022, a figure which is lower than the last number of years (NMC, 2022).
The NMC's Code
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