The Nursing and Midwifery Council plans a consultation from September to December 2026 on a new Code and the revalidation process. It describes the review as its first major review of both areas in more than a decade.

The regulator has identified artificial intelligence, anti racism, health inequalities and professional accountability as areas for discussion in a revised Code.

Possible revalidation changes include automatic 12 week extensions for valid reasons and a random verification sample that is twice its current size.

These are proposed consultation topics rather than final rules. The NMC will need to consider responses before deciding whether and how to change the Code or revalidation requirements.