Council Members (Lay & Registrant) – Nursing and Midwifery Council

We are seeking four non-executive members to join our Council, two from February 2027 and two from April 2027.

– Two professionals currently on our Register who have extensive experience of operating at Board level, and are professionally capable with required experience, knowledge, skills and independence to enable them to perform the duties effectively. We would like at least one of these members to be a midwife.

– Two lay persons who have extensive experience of operating at Board level bringing about transformational change, who can demonstrate a mix of governance expertise, strategic vision, and specialised competencies for undertaking a Trustee role. Desirable skills include senior level finance and legal expertise/regulatory experience.

We welcome applicants from all four nations: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

You will need to be able to devote at least three days a month to the Council; in return you will receive an annual allowance (currently £15,166 a year) and reasonable expenses.

We are the independent regulator of more than 867,900 nurses and midwives in the UK and nursing associates in England. We want to improve how we protect the public by supporting safe and effective nursing and midwifery care that improves everyone’s health and wellbeing.

This is a pivotal time for the NMC as we continue to work to earn back trust and confidence in our ability to protect the public through the effective regulation of nurses, midwives and nursing associates. Our 2026-27 Business Plan, approved by the Council in May 2026, sets out how we intend to deliver our ambitions over the course of this year. It reflects the priorities established in our 18-month strategy, Building a New NMC, published in September 2025.

We are operating in a challenging context. We recognise that the journey towards faster, fairer and more effective regulation that supports high-quality nursing and midwifery practice will be complex, particularly given the pressures facing the wider health and care system. The professionals we regulate constitute the largest proportion of the health workforce and a significant part of the social care workforce. They play a vital role in supporting people and communities across the UK. At a time of considerable pressure on these professions, effective professional regulation is more important than ever. We want to strengthen our role as a trusted regulator that supports professionals to uphold high standards of practice to protect the public and maintain confidence in the professions.

We want the membership of the Council to reflect the diversity of the professionals we regulate and the public we’re here to protect, so we’re particularly keen to hear from people with the right skills and expertise from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds.

Applications should be received by 12:00 noon on Friday 2 October 2026.

Registered charity in England and Wales (1091434) and in Scotland (SC038362)

Candidate Information Pack

Microsite