Have your say on nursing and midwifery education standards
- Area of Work: Policy and Research
- Type: News Item
- Published: 22nd June 2026
The Practice Learning Review Consultation will remain open until 23 July 2026
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is inviting views on proposed changes to practice learning requirements for nursing, midwifery and nursing associate education programmes.
The review has been informed by extensive engagement with students, professionals, practice learning partners and other stakeholders. And while many students report positive placement experiences, feedback highlighted variation in the quality of practice learning and concerns about whether some students are gaining the confidence and competence needed for professional practice.
The consultation includes a number of significant proposals, including:
- Reducing the minimum practice learning hours required for nursing programmes to 1,800 hours
- Retaining the current balance of 50% theory learning and 50% practice learning
- Extending the pre-registration midwifery programmes from three years to four years
You can find the full consultation document and proposals at: Practice Learning Review Consultation
How to respond
The NMC recognises that these proposals may generate a wide range of views and is encouraging as many people as possible to take part in the consultation. The NMC are particularly looking for perspectives from Scotland as response rates are currently lower than those from other UK nations.
You can respond to the consultation survey at: NMC consultation on changes to nursing and midwifery practice learning standards
The consultation closes on 23 July 2026.
Want to know more?
The NMC will be hosting a public webinar on Thursday 2 July from 12.00pm to 1.00pm, providing an overview of the proposals and an opportunity to ask questions about the review. You can sign up for the webinar at NMC Practice Learning Review Consultation
For organisations and groups, NMC representatives have also offered to join meetings virtually to present information about the Practice Learning Review recommendations; should you wish to request this please contact the NMC Practice Learning Review team by emailing practicelearningreview@nmc-uk.org
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