Professional regulation. Part 8: government and NMC proposals

Two years ago, the Department of Health released a report entitled: Modernising Nursing Careers, Setting the Direction. The opening line in the forward of this report said: 'no one can doubt that healthcare services across the United Kingdom are going through a period of profound change. In her message, which set the tone of the report, Christine Beasley, Chief Nursing Officer of England, said: 'there have been medical advances that we could hardly imagined ... society is also changing ... people's health and recovery is affected by a complex array of factors that bring added challenges. This article discusses the remit of Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and its basis of statutory authority over its registrants, and begin to explore NMC's position with regard to nurse education.