What Your NMC Confirmer Has to Verify (Full Checklist)

The confirmer’s job is straightforward but specific. They sign that they’ve reviewed evidence for each of the eight revalidation requirements and that, on the basis of that evidence, each requirement appears to have been met. This chapter is the requirement-by-requirement checklist of what they’re checking.

If you’re preparing your own revalidation, this is the structure to prepare your evidence in. If you’re a senior nurse being asked to confirm for the first time, this is what you’re being asked to do.

Requirement 1: 450 practice hours

What to provide: a summary of practice hours covering the three-year cycle, ideally with supporting evidence (employer letter, payslip count, agency timesheets).

What the confirmer checks:

• The total hours equal or exceed 450 (or 900/1,350 for dual/triple registration).
• The hours fall within the three-year revalidation window.
• The hours are from roles that required NMC registration.

What they don’t check: every individual payslip. A summary with one or two corroborating documents is sufficient for confirmation. Detailed verification is what an NMC audit might do, not the confirmer.

Requirement 2: 35 CPD hours

What to provide: a CPD log listing the 35 hours, with date, activity, duration, and category (participatory or individual). Certificates or attendance evidence for the major items.

What the confirmer checks:

• The total hours equal or exceed 35.
• At least 20 of the hours are categorised as participatory.
• The CPD is relevant to your scope of practice (a sniff test, not a deep check).
• The CPD is dated within the cycle.

What they don’t check: every CPD activity in detail. They scan the list for plausibility, asking whether it looks like genuine CPD for your role.

Requirement 3: Five pieces of practice-related feedback

What to provide: the five pieces of feedback with date, source, content summary, and where applicable, the original.

What the confirmer checks:

• Five distinct pieces are present.
• Each one is dated within the cycle.
• The sources are appropriate (patients, colleagues, students, managers).
• They are practice-related, not generic.

What they don’t check: the verbatim accuracy of every quoted feedback. The confirmer is satisfied by reasonable plausibility.

Requirement 4: Five reflective accounts

What to provide: five completed Form 6 reflective accounts.

What the confirmer checks:

• Five distinct accounts are present.
• Each is on the NMC Form 6 template (or an equivalent capturing the same four fields).
• Each names one section of the Code.
• Each appears to be substantive (not blank, not boilerplate).
• Dates are within the cycle.

The confirmer may read one or two accounts in full for sampling. They are not expected to read all five word for word.

Requirement 5: Reflective discussion

What to provide: the signed reflective discussion form.

What the confirmer checks:

• The form is present and signed by both you and your discussion partner.
• The discussion partner is an NMC registrant.
• The date is within the cycle.
• All five reflective accounts were covered in the discussion (confirmed by the partner on the form).

Note: the confirmer and the reflective discussion partner can be the same person. If so, that person signs both roles separately.

Requirement 6: Health and character declaration

What to provide: confirmation that you have signed the health and character declaration in your NMC Online submission.

What the confirmer checks:

• That you have made the declaration.
• That, to their knowledge of you, the declaration is consistent with what they understand of your practice and conduct.

What they don’t check: whether you should have disclosed something. The confirmer isn’t auditing your disclosure decisions. If they know of a matter they think you should have disclosed, they can raise it with you, and ultimately decline to confirm if there’s a fundamental disagreement, but they’re not expected to investigate.

Requirement 7: Professional indemnity arrangement

What to provide: confirmation of the indemnity source (employer letter, union membership confirmation, policy schedule).

What the confirmer checks:

• A current indemnity arrangement is in place.
• The arrangement appears appropriate to your nursing work.
• It covers the period through your renewal date.

What they don’t check: the small print of the policy. They’re looking for the existence of cover, not the technical adequacy.

Requirement 8: The confirmation itself

The confirmer signs the confirmation form, which itself contains a series of statements. The form is the document the NMC ultimately sees.

The form asks the confirmer to:

• Identify themselves (name, role, NMC PIN if applicable, professional registration number).
• Confirm their relationship to you and how long they’ve known you.
• Confirm they have reviewed evidence for each of the eight requirements.
• Sign and date.

The form is short, a single page in most versions, and the signature is the legally significant element.

What the confirmer is asked to attest

The wording on the form is precise. The confirmer is attesting that:

• They have known you in a professional context for an appropriate period.
• They have reviewed the evidence you provided for each requirement.
• They believe, on the basis of that evidence, that you have met the requirements.
• They are not aware of any reason that you should not continue to be registered.

That last clause is the meaningful one for the confirmer. If they know of a matter that should prevent registration (a serious safeguarding concern, an ongoing FtP issue you haven’t disclosed, evidence of fundamental dishonesty in the submission) they can’t sign.

In practice, this almost never comes up. Most confirmers know the registrant well, have seen no concerning behaviour, and the submission matches what they’d expect.

This is the end of Part 2. The next part, chapters 27 through 51, walks through every section of the NMC Code, one chapter per section, with practical examples and CPD mapping for each.