In short: The NMC Code is the set of professional standards nurses, midwives and nursing associates must uphold to stay registered. It is built around four themes, prioritise people, practise effectively, preserve safety, and promote professionalism and trust, which together contain 25 numbered standards. The same Code underpins revalidation and is the yardstick against which every fitness to practise concern is judged. This guide sets out all 25 standards and what each means in practice.
Most nurses meet the Code as a student, then rarely open it again until something goes wrong. That is a shame, because the Code is not a rulebook to be feared. It is a description of what good practice looks like, and it is the single most useful document you have when a concern arises, when you revalidate, or when you simply want to be sure you are on solid ground. This guide gives you the whole of it, plainly, and shows you how it is actually used.
The full title is The Code: Professional Standards of Practice and Behaviour for Nurses, Midwives and Nursing Associates. It applies equally to all three professions. Below, we take each theme in turn, list every standard it contains, and then explain how the Code works in a fitness to practise case and in a reflective account.
On this page
What is the NMC Code?
The Code is the set of professional standards that you must uphold to be, and stay, registered with the NMC. It is not the law, and a single departure from it does not automatically mean action against you. But it carries real weight, because the NMC itself is clear that failing to comply with the Code may bring your fitness to practise into question. In other words, the Code is the measure. When the NMC considers a concern, when a panel decides a case, and when you revalidate every three years, it is the Code that everything is measured against. Knowing it well is therefore not an academic exercise; it is practical protection.
The four themes at a glance
The Code groups its 25 standards under four themes. Each theme captures a different dimension of good practice, and together they cover the whole of professional life.
Prioritise people
Put the interests, dignity and safety of the people in your care first.
Practise effectively
Practise on the best evidence, communicate and record well, and be accountable.
Preserve safety
Work within your competence, raise concerns, and protect people from harm.
Promote professionalism and trust
Uphold the reputation of the profession through honesty and accountability.
Theme 1: Prioritise people (standards 1 to 5)
This theme puts the person receiving care at the centre of everything. It is about dignity, consent, privacy and acting in people's best interests.
| No. | Standard |
|---|---|
| 1 | Treat people as individuals and uphold their dignity. |
| 2 | Listen to people and respond to their preferences and concerns. |
| 3 | Make sure that people's physical, social and psychological needs are assessed and responded to. |
| 4 | Act in the best interests of people at all times. |
| 5 | Respect people's right to privacy and confidentiality. |
Theme 2: Practise effectively (standards 6 to 12)
This theme is about the quality and accountability of your practice: using evidence, communicating and working with others, keeping good records, and having the right arrangements in place.
| No. | Standard |
|---|---|
| 6 | Always practise in line with the best available evidence. |
| 7 | Communicate clearly. |
| 8 | Work cooperatively. |
| 9 | Share your skills, knowledge and experience for the benefit of people receiving care and your colleagues. |
| 10 | Keep clear and accurate records relevant to your practice. |
| 11 | Be accountable for your decisions to delegate tasks and duties to other people. |
| 12 | Have in place an indemnity arrangement which provides appropriate cover. |
Theme 3: Preserve safety (standards 13 to 19)
This theme is about keeping people safe: knowing your limits, raising concerns without delay, handling medicines safely, and reducing risk. Many fitness to practise concerns engage a standard from this theme.
| No. | Standard |
|---|---|
| 13 | Recognise and work within the limits of your competence. |
| 14 | Be open and candid with all service users about all aspects of care and treatment, including when things go wrong. |
| 15 | Always offer help if an emergency arises in your practice setting or elsewhere. |
| 16 | Act without delay if you believe there is a risk to patient safety or public protection. |
| 17 | Raise concerns immediately if you believe a person is vulnerable or at risk and needs extra support and protection. |
| 18 | Advise on, prescribe, supply, dispense or administer medicines within the limits of your training and competence. |
| 19 | Be aware of, and reduce as far as possible, any potential for harm associated with your practice. |
Theme 4: Promote professionalism and trust (standards 20 to 25)
This theme is about upholding the reputation of the profession, on and off duty. Honesty, integrity, professional boundaries, cooperation with investigations and leadership all sit here. Conduct concerns often engage these standards.
| No. | Standard |
|---|---|
| 20 | Uphold the reputation of your profession at all times. |
| 21 | Uphold your position as a registered nurse, midwife or nursing associate. |
| 22 | Fulfil all registration requirements. |
| 23 | Cooperate with all investigations and audits. |
| 24 | Respond to any complaints made against you professionally. |
| 25 | Provide leadership to make sure people's wellbeing is protected and to improve their experiences of the healthcare system. |
How is the NMC Code used in a fitness to practise case?
The Code is the yardstick, and understanding that changes how you should respond to a concern. When the NMC looks at a concern, it does not ask in the abstract whether you are a good nurse. It asks which standards of the Code the concern engages, and whether your fitness to practise is currently impaired against those standards. That is why the most useful first step, when a concern is raised, is to identify precisely which themes and standards it touches. A medication error is likely to engage standards under preserve safety and practise effectively. A dishonesty concern engages promote professionalism and trust. A consent or dignity issue engages prioritise people. Once you know which standards are in play, you know exactly what your reflection and your remediation need to address. A response that speaks directly to the relevant standards is far stronger than a general expression of regret.
Facing a concern, and not sure which standards it engages?
Mapping your concern to the Code is the first step to a strong response. Structured CPD aligned with CPD UK guidelines helps you evidence insight and remediation against the right standards.
How do you use the Code in a reflective account?
By anchoring your reflection to specific standards, which is exactly what both revalidation and fitness to practise reward. A reflective account that simply describes an event is weaker than one that says, in effect, this is what happened, these are the standards of the Code it relates to, this is what I learned, and this is what I have changed. Revalidation asks you to write reflective accounts linked to the Code, and a well-constructed reflection does the same work that a strong fitness to practise reflection does: it demonstrates insight. Our guide on writing a reflective statement takes you through this in detail, and the same principles apply whether you are reflecting for revalidation or in response to a concern. The Code gives your reflection its structure; insight, reflection and remediation, the three pillars behind IRR Practice, give it its substance. You can read how those three connect on our insight, reflection and remediation page.
Related courses
You do not need a course to read the Code; it is free and this guide covers it in full. But if you are responding to a concern, or want to evidence your practice against the standards for revalidation, these structured CPD courses map directly to the Code:
- Work through the Code theme by theme
- Map your practice to the 25 standards
- Evidence professionalism for revalidation or a case
Structured CPD · 2 CPD pts- Ground the Code in core ethical principles
- Handle consent, confidentiality and candour well
- Strengthen the reasoning behind your decisions
Structured CPD · 2 CPD pts- Link reflection to specific Code standards
- Write accounts that work for revalidation and cases
- Turn an experience into clear, honest learning
Structured CPD · 1.5 CPD pts- Address the exact standards a concern engaged
- Build a dated, evidenced record of change
- Show a panel the risk has genuinely reduced
Structured CPD · 1.5 CPD pts