Regulator guide: NMC
NMC: revalidation, the Code and fitness to practise
Revalidation numbers, the four themes of the Code, and how the NMC weighs insight and strengthened practice, with courses that fit.
CPD courses for nurses in the UK that fit NMC revalidation
If you are searching for CPD courses for nurses UK-wide that you can actually use at revalidation, the useful question is not just how many hours a course gives you. It is whether you can turn it into a reflective account linked to the Code. This page covers what the Nursing and Midwifery Council asks of nurses, midwives and nursing associates, how its fitness to practise guidance treats insight and strengthened practice, and which of our courses fit where.
Two short routes, depending on why you are here. For revalidation, use the facts table and the free CPD and revalidation tracker. If a referral has been made, start with the remediation pathway, which puts the steps in a sensible order. Other regulators are covered on the regulators hub.
The Code: four themes behind everything else
The NMC Code, Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives and nursing associates, is built around four themes:
- Prioritise people: dignity, listening to people, acting in their best interests, and respecting confidentiality.
- Practise effectively: evidence-based practice, communication, working with colleagues, keeping clear records and delegating safely.
- Preserve safety: working within your competence, being open when things go wrong, raising concerns and protecting people at risk.
- Promote professionalism and trust: upholding the reputation of the profession, honesty, appropriate conduct online and cooperating with investigations.
Each written reflective account for revalidation must link to at least one of these themes, so it pays to know which theme a course supports before you start it.
Changes ahead: in July 2026 the NMC announced a consultation, running from September to December 2026, on a new Code and a refreshed revalidation process. Until the NMC confirms what changes and when, the current Code and the requirements below still apply. We will update this page and log the change on our update log when the outcome is published.
Recommended courses
Written for UK registrants and mapped to what NMC guidance asks of you.
- NMC
Professionalism and Professional Standards for Nurses and Midwives
Professionalism is how nurses, midwives and nursing associates earn and keep the trust of the people they care for, their colleagues and the public. It is visible in how they…
- NMC
Ethics and Ethical Standards for Nurses and Midwives
Nurses, midwives and nursing associates spend more time with patients and families than any other professionals, often at the most vulnerable moments of their lives. They make ethical decisions constantly:…
- All UK regulators
Module on Insight for Healthcare Professionals
This module explores insight: the self-awareness that lets healthcare professionals understand their actions, recognise their impact and learn from experience. It covers what insight is and why it matters, when…
- GMCNMCHCPC+5 more regulators
Reflection for Healthcare Professionals
This CPD module helps healthcare professionals in the UK understand and strengthen reflective practice. It explains what reflection is and why it matters, the UK regulatory context, structured models of…
- GMCNMCHCPC+2 more regulators
Remediation for Healthcare Professionals
This CPD module helps healthcare professionals in the UK understand and undertake effective remediation. It explains what remediation is and why it matters, the UK regulatory and employer context, the…
NMC revalidation requirements in one table
You revalidate every three years. The NMC's requirements are:
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Practice hours | 450 hours over three years (900 if you revalidate as both nurse and midwife, or as nursing associate and nurse; 1,350 for triple registration) |
| CPD | 35 hours relevant to your scope of practice, of which at least 20 must be participatory |
| Practice-related feedback | 5 pieces |
| Written reflective accounts | 5, on the NMC form, each linked to the Code, with nothing that could identify another person |
| Reflective discussion | With another NMC registrant, covering your 5 reflective accounts |
| Declarations | Health and character declaration, and a professional indemnity arrangement |
| Confirmation | From an appropriate confirmer |
Where a self-paced course fits. Participatory learning means learning with one or more other people. A course you work through on your own is normally logged as individual CPD, which counts towards the 35 hours but not towards the 20 participatory hours. If you discuss the course in a team learning session or a facilitated group, record that discussion separately and check the NMC's CPD page for how to log it.
The tracker keeps a running count of total and participatory hours, and has slots for the five accounts.
From course to reflective account in four questions
The NMC's revalidation reflective account form asks four things. Here is how to answer them after one of our courses:
- What was the nature of the CPD activity, feedback or event? Name the course and the part that mattered most to you, for example the module on delegation and accountability.
- What did you learn? One or two specific points, not a summary of the whole course.
- How did you change or improve your practice as a result? A concrete change, such as how you now document a capacity assessment or hand over to a healthcare assistant.
- How is this relevant to the Code? Pick the theme or themes and say why.
Leave out anything that could identify a patient, a colleague or a service user. The reflective statement builder follows this structure, flags possible identifiers and exports a draft for your reflective discussion. You write every word yourself.
Courses for nurses, midwives and nursing associates
Every course is self-paced, takes about 2 hours according to its course file, and ends with 15 scenario-based questions (pass mark 80%) and a guided reflective account.
Professionalism and Professional Standards for Nurses and Midwives
The Code in practice. It covers registration, revalidation and indemnity; delegation and accountability; supporting students, preceptees and new colleagues; leadership and speaking up; extending your scope into advanced practice and prescribing; working under pressure and safe staffing; and conduct online and outside work. It ends with how breaches are handled and how to remediate. Code themes: all four.
Ethics and Ethical Standards for Nurses and Midwives
Ethical principles in nursing and midwifery: choice, consent and listening to women in midwifery; capacity, best interests and restrictive practice; the duty of candour; record-keeping; raising and escalating concerns; and conscientious objection. Code themes: Prioritise people; Preserve safety.
Module on Insight
Explains insight in plain terms and shows how NMC and other regulators assess it. Relevant if you are writing a reflection about a complaint, an incident or a referral.
Reflection for Healthcare Professionals
Reflective models, worked examples, weak and strong sample reflections, anonymisation, and what is and is not protected when you write things down. It is a natural fit for the reflective accounts and the reflective discussion.
Remediation for Healthcare Professionals
Root causes, building a plan, the kinds of evidence decision makers accept, and preventing recurrence. The NMC calls this strengthened practice.
Fitness to practise: insight and strengthened practice
The NMC's fitness to practise library explains how decision makers judge whether a nurse, midwife or nursing associate is currently impaired. Its section on insight and strengthened practice (FTP-16) asks three linked questions:
- Can the concern be addressed? (FTP-16a) Most clinical concerns can be. Some are much harder to address through training, for example serious or sustained dishonesty, sexual misconduct and deep-seated attitudinal problems.
- Has the concern been addressed? (FTP-16b) Decision makers consider how relevant any training is to the concern. Training with a practical element or a formal assessment of understanding is likely to carry more weight than online learning with no check of understanding. Reflective pieces carry more weight when they give examples of what you learned and how you have applied it.
- Is it highly unlikely that the conduct will be repeated? This links insight and strengthened practice to future risk.
FTP-16b also covers testimonials. References from managers or supervisors who know about the concern and have seen your recent practice are more useful than character references from friends. They should be signed and dated and include contact details.
The NMC publishes an optional reflective account form for fitness to practise cases, separate from the revalidation form. Your representative can advise whether to use it.
Try the remediation readiness check to see which of these areas you have evidence for. It is a self-assessment and does not predict any outcome.
- InsightUnderstanding what went wrong, why, and its effect on others and on trust.
- RemediationPractical steps that address the concern, such as targeted learning and supervised practice.
- ReflectionShowing what you learned and how your practice has changed.
Why a course on its own is not enough
A certificate tells a panel that you completed a course and passed its assessment. It does not show insight, and it does not show that your practice has changed. In a referral, a course is one strand of a wider plan:
- learning matched to the concern, not general CPD;
- a reflective piece in your own words with examples of change;
- evidence of applied practice, such as supervision notes, audits or competency sign-offs;
- testimonials from people who know about the concern;
- a realistic plan for keeping practice safe.
The remediation pathway takes you through each strand. Your union (for example the RCN or RCM) or a solicitor should see your bundle before it goes to the NMC.
Healthcare Practise UK is an independent education provider. We are not affiliated with, approved or endorsed by the GMC, NMC, HCPC, GDC, GPhC, GOC, GOsC, GCC, Social Work England, MPTS or the PSA. Completing our courses or tools does not decide any regulatory outcome. Regulators decide each case on its own facts, so please take advice from your defence organisation, union or a solicitor before you submit anything to a regulator.
Free tools for NMC registrants
Remediation pathway
All the tools in one guided flow: readiness check, course bundle, reflection, testimonials, timeline and an evidence portfolio you can save as a PDF.
Remediation readiness check
A self-assessment of your insight, remediation, reflection, testimonials, CPD and risk of repetition, with the gaps to work on.
Reflective statement builder
Regulator-specific prompts that help you structure a reflective statement in your own words.
Testimonial request letter
A clear, honest letter asking a colleague or manager for a testimonial that covers what panels look for.
CPD and revalidation tracker
Log CPD against your regulator's cycle and see what is still to do before renewal or revalidation.
Hearing timeline planner
Work back from a key date to a realistic plan for courses, reflection and testimonials, with a calendar file.
Which course do I need?
Four quick questions that point you to the courses that match your regulator and situation.
Frequently asked questions
How many CPD hours do nurses need for NMC revalidation?
35 hours over the three-year period, relevant to your scope of practice, with at least 20 hours of participatory learning. You also need 450 practice hours, 5 pieces of practice-related feedback and 5 written reflective accounts.
Does an online course count as participatory CPD?
Usually not, if you work through it alone. Participatory learning involves interaction with one or more other people, in person or online. A self-paced course counts towards the 35 hours as individual learning.
Can one course be the basis of a reflective account?
Yes. A reflective account can be about a CPD activity, a piece of feedback or an event. Answer the four questions on the NMC form and link the account to at least one theme of the Code.
Is the NMC changing the Code and revalidation?
The NMC is consulting from September to December 2026 on a new Code and a refreshed revalidation process. The current Code and requirements apply until the NMC confirms changes and a start date.
Does the NMC approve your courses?
No. Healthcare Practise UK is independent and is not approved or endorsed by the NMC. We map each course to the Code so that you can judge its relevance yourself.
I have been referred to the NMC. What should I do first?
Contact your union or a solicitor, then use the readiness check to see where your evidence is thin. Choose courses that match the concern, and write reflection that shows applied change.
Can I include patient details in a reflective account?
No. Revalidation reflective accounts must not contain anything that could identify a patient, service user, colleague or anyone else. The builder flags names, dates and places for you to remove.
Not sure where to start?
Tell us your regulator and the concern. The pathway shows the courses that fit, helps you write your reflection and puts your evidence in order. It is free and nothing leaves your browser.