The NMC Code review and AI

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is rewriting the Code for the first time in over a decade, and AI is one of the topics it covers. This page sets out what is proposed, what already applies today, and how you and your students can take part.

Situation at 24 September 2026

• Proposed change: the NMC plans to add expectations on the "safe and effective use of digital and other technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI)" to the Code (NMC, July 2026).
• Consultation timing: the public consultation on the draft Code was due to run from September to December 2026. It has been pushed back and is reported to be launching by the end of November 2026 (Nursing Times, September 2026).
• Revalidation: consultation on revalidation has been separated from the Code and delayed by at least six months, so the NMC can take account of stakeholder feedback and independent inquiry recommendations (NMC).
• No date yet has been confirmed for when a new Code would take effect.

What applies now

Until a new Code is published and in force, the current Code applies in full, including when you use AI. There is no separate NMC AI standard yet, but these existing standards already cover most AI use:

Code standard	What it means when using AI
5. Respect people's right to privacy and confidentiality	Don't put identifiable information into AI tools your organisation hasn't approved for that purpose.
6. Always practise in line with the best available evidence	Check AI output against authoritative sources (NICE, BNF, local policy) before acting on it or teaching it.
10. Keep clear and accurate records	You are accountable for anything AI drafts for a record, including notes from AI scribes. Check and correct it before it is saved.
13. Recognise and work within the limits of your competence	Don't rely on AI for decisions you couldn't make or explain yourself.
19. Reduce as far as possible any potential for harm	Treat AI suggestions as a prompt for your judgement, not a replacement for it.
20. Uphold the reputation of your profession	Act with honesty and integrity, including in how you use and disclose AI in academic and professional work.

Read the full Code: NMC Code online.

For students, the NMC's programme standards already expect universities to confirm and develop digital and technological literacy throughout pre-registration programmes (Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes, requirement 1.1.7).

What is changing around the Code

The NMC's proposals

In its early engagement, people told the NMC they want clearer standards on the safe use of AI tools in practice (NMC). The draft Code is expected to include expectations on digital technologies including AI, alongside stronger expectations on anti-discrimination, public protection and professional behaviour. The exact wording will only be known when the consultation opens.

Joint principles from UK health and care regulators

On 17 September 2026 the NMC, the Professional Standards Authority and the other UK health and care professional regulators committed to develop shared high-level principles on how they will regulate professionals' use of AI (NMC, September 2026). No publication date has been set. The aim is consistent expectations whether you are a nurse, doctor, pharmacist or allied health professional.

The National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare

Convened by the MHRA, the Commission published its recommendations on 10 September 2026 (GOV.UK). Two points matter most for nurse educators:

• It warns that responsibility for AI-related errors can fall on individual professionals without enough recognition of how the AI and the wider system contributed, and calls for clearer allocation of responsibility between manufacturers and providers.
• It recommends a coordinated approach to AI education, covering initial education, postgraduate training and continuing professional development (Pharmaceutical Journal).

How to take part

1. Sign up for updates from the NMC's Code and revalidation review, so you hear when the consultation opens (NMC future standards).
2. Respond when the consultation opens. Registrants, students, educators, employers and the public can all respond.
3. Run a group response. A teaching session built around the draft wording is a practical way to develop professional judgement and to give the NMC a student perspective.

Teaching activity: draft your own AI standard

Time: 45 minutes · Group size: 4–6 · Suits: all years

1. Scenario sort (10 min). Give groups four short scenarios: a student using AI to draft a care plan, an AI scribe summarising a consultation, a nurse pasting a discharge letter into a chatbot, and an educator using AI to mark reflections. For each, which current Code standards apply?
2. Draft (15 min). Write one sentence, in Code style ("You must..."), setting out what a registrant should do when using AI.
3. Test (10 min). Swap drafts. Does the sentence protect patients? Can it be followed in practice? Would it still make sense in five years, as the technology changes?
4. Compare (10 min). When the NMC's draft is published, compare it with your group's sentences and consider sending your views to the consultation.

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Related: AI scribes on placement · GOV.UK AI guardrails for nursing · Responsible use checklist