The Nursing and Midwifery Council has launched a workforce restructuring programme that is anticipated to see the loss of 145 posts.

Around a third of the posts at the nursing regulator are currently vacant, with around 100 employees set to lose their jobs under the plans.

The total number of posts lost represents around a tenth of the workforce.

The move is being looked at “to ensure a sustainable financial position and focus resources on the effective delivery of core regulatory work”, said the NMC.

It is estimated the staffing reduction will save the nursing regulator £3.1m, as it looks to save £9.7m a year.

According to its most recently filed accounts, its income was £107.2m but it spent £108.3m. This is the first time over the last five years where its spending had outstripped its income.

As part of the restructure its registration and revalidation team will be moved into the professional practice directorate.

“The restructuring proposals are essential to build the new NMC – a strong and independent regulator that is financially secure.”

The NMC has launched a 60-day consultation period on the proposals, with an initial 30-day consultation with the union UNISON.

The charity says it is “supporting staff through this difficult process and is committed to redeploying staff wherever possible”.

“The nursing and midwifery professions need a strong and independent regulator to uphold high professional standards and protect the public,” said NMC chief executive and registrar Paul Rees.

“To achieve this, we must ensure our financial stability and modernise the NMC”.

“Along with this comes the need for changes to our organisational structure, and the difficult but necessary decision to propose a reduction in our headcount.

“This will enable us to make the savings we need heading into next year and beyond, as we continue to build the new NMC.”

Union concerns

However, Unison’s head of health Helga Pile is concerned that the job cuts put services and staff morale at risk.

“The scale of these redundancies is troubling,” she said.

“The NMC has faced significant internal challenges, and staff had hoped for a period of stability and progress.

“Instead, they face further uncertainty. Employees continue to deliver a vital service to people required to register, but these cuts risk undermining service quality and staff morale.”

She blamed “the NMC’s own poor financial planning” for the job cuts, adding that while “a commitment to limit the impact on professional regulation is welcome” she warned that “any reduction in roles will pile further pressure on those staff who remain”.

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