[2][3] The UKCC was expected to maintain a register of UK nurses, midwives and health visitors, provide guidance to registrants, and handle professional misconduct complaints.

In 1990 the UKCC introduced Project 2000 a higher education scheme in the United Kingdom for nursing qualifications.

The Council ensures that the NMC complies with all relevant legislation, including the Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001 and the Charities Act 1993.

These standards help to shape the content and design of programmes and state what a registered nurse or midwife needs to know and be able to do.

Four key sections describe what nurses and midwives are expected to do: • prioritise people • practise effectively • preserve safety, and • promote professionalism and trust.

The updates include new requirements on the fundamentals of care, the duty of candour, raising concerns and social media use.

The introduction to the code states: “When joining our register, and then renewing their registration, nurses and midwives commit to upholding these standards.

The Code should be useful for everyone who cares about good nursing and midwifery.”[13] The NMC has committed to developing and implementing a system of revalidation.

[10] Nurses and midwives will need to renew their registration every three years and confirm that they continue to remain fit to practise by meeting the principles of the revised Code.

The NMC produced guidance for nurses and midwives on raising concerns which aims to help them take action in the public interest when needed.

[20] Helene Donnelly, ambassador for cultural change at Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Partnership NHS Trust, spoke to NMC Council about raising concerns and gave her support to the guidance.

[21] On 2 April 2014, the Law Commission published its draft bill, Regulation of Health and Social Care Professionals.

[24] The changes will enable the NMC to ensure, on a case-by-case basis, that a nurse or midwife from the EU has sufficient knowledge and command of English to practise safely and effectively.

[25] On 11 March 2008 two Members of Parliament, Jim Devine and John Smith, made accusations in the House of Commons of bullying and racism within the NMC.

[26] The government set up an independent inquiry asking the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence and the Charity Commission to investigate.

Due to senior members of the NMC also being the instigating officer in cases against nurses, belonging to the same NHS Trust.

In July 2024 an independent review of the NMC's culture highlighted safeguarding concerns, and found that people working in the organisation have experienced racism, discrimination and bullying.

The Professional Standards Authority said the regulator's investigation was "deficient" because evidence was not presented to the panel by the council, even though it had it in its possession.

[45] In 2018 the authority reported that the council had ignored more than 20 concerns raised by Cumbria police in 2012 for two years and that its handling of complaints was “frequently incompetent”.

[47] The process of registering nurses from abroad includes an English language test which has been criticised as too difficult.

[49] In September 2022, after a consultation exercise, the Council agreed to changes which were intended to slightly relax the testing procedures.