Revalidation is being introduced by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in April 2016 to build further confidence and improve protection with the public, employers, and fellow professionals by ensuring that nurses and midwives are up-to-date with their professional practice.

• 450 practice hours – Over the three years prior to the renewal of your registration.
• 35 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) – Must be relevant to your practice as a nurse and over the three years prior to the renewal of your registration. 20 hours must be through participatory learning.
• Five pieces of practice-related feedback (at least) – Feedback can be informal / formal, written or verbal and from a number of sources including patients, service users, students and colleagues.
• Five written reflections and one discussion – On the Code, your CPD and practice related feedback. You must discuss these reflections with another NMC-registered nurse.
• Health and character declaration – You must declare if you have been convicted of any criminal offence or issued with a formal caution.
• Professional Indemnity Arrangement.
• Confirmation from a third party – An appropriate third party confirmer is your line manager or an NMC registrant which you work with.

You will also be contacted by the NMC 60 days before your revalidation application is due. Your revalidation date will be the first day of the month in which your registration expires and as part of that you will need to submit the online application before that date. We recommend at least 2 weeks prior in case you come across any unforeseen delays.

It needs to be relevant to your practice. Mandatory training can be counted but the NMC are ideally looking for something that fits close to what you specialize in. You can often get CPD points / hours online, at events, conferences and workshops so take a look at what’s local to you – some of which could be free! Remember, 20 out of the 35 hours need to be participatory which means that you need to be in a group setting. To support you through revalidation ICARE24 is running a series of Revalidation Training Workshops at its Victoria Office on; 3rd May, 9th June and 1st September 1st 2016, which will count towards your CPD! To book your place please e mail revalidation@icare24.co.uk

You can collect feedback verbally, written, in a formal or informal format. It could also relate to you as an individual or through the team you’re in. To support you in obtaining feedback, ICARE24 Group Plc Time-sheets have been specifically designed for you to collect individual feedback. If you look to collect feedback from a patient, do remember to get their consent first and do not provide personal details which could identify the patient. Ref: RFS: BR-HH 2016 Revalidation FAQs

You need to follow the NMC guidelines and complete each section they propose. You can either download the NMC form, the RCNi Portfolio account or use the template within the ICARE24 Group Revalidation Template Pack.

The questions which you have to answer include:

• Title
• Date
• What was the nature of the CPD activity/ practice-related feedback?
• What did you learn from the CPD activity and/or feedback?
• How did you change or improve your work as a result?
• How is this relevant to the Code?

Read the ICARE24 Group Guide to Writing a Reflective Account for more information.

Training (CPD), an event or experience in practice and feedback that you have collected about yourself or the team you are part of (verbal, written, formal or informal).

Throughout the three years leading up to your revalidation date, you should be completing reflective pieces (at least five) to evidence as part of the process. The reflective discussion follows on from your written reflections and requires you to have a face-to-face conversation with another Nursing and Midwifery (NMC) registrant to discuss your written reflective accounts in detail. You do not need to work with the person on a daily basis and they do not need to be within the same specialism as you, but you will need to complete the reflective discussion form and obtain a signature from the other NMC registration to evidence that you do not practice in professional isolation. If you work with ICARE24 Group on a full time or regular basis, you will be given access to ICARE24 Group Reflective Discussion Partner. To book your Reflection Discussion Appointment email us at; revalidation@Icare24.co.uk.

It is strongly recommended you do so. You portfolio can be paper based or online (eportfolio) either way it need to hold you evidence of each requirement ready to be discussed in your confirmation meeting. It is also needed as future reference should you be asked to provide your 9 portfolio as part of the NMC’s random sample of verification. Ref: RFS: BR-HH 2016 Revalidation FAQs

No. You will only complete the online revalidation application form confirming that you have met all of the requirements. You need to keep you portfolio as evidence for the three years and we recommend you keep a copy of it for future reference. The NMC will be selecting a random sample of nurses to send through their portfolio to verify their declarations as part of their revalidation application. If you are selected it does not necessarily mean there are any concerns about your application, and you can continue to practise while the NMC reviews the information you provide.

The confirmation meeting is the final step before you submit your revalidation application. Its purpose is to review all evidence collected over the last three years as part of the renewal process. Take a look at The ICARE24 Group Revalidation Guidance Sheet to learn more about Confirmation.

Whilst it’s recommended that the confirmer is an NMC registrant, it’s not a must. They should however, be considered to be your line manager and If that’s not possible, you can seek confirmation from another UK registered healthcare professional that you work with e.g. doctor, dentist or pharmacist. If you work with ICARE24 Group on a full time or regular basis, you will be given access to aICARE24 Group Confirmer for your third party confirmation. To book your Confirmation Appointment email us at; revalidation@Icare24.co.uk.

No. Revalidation will not be an assessment on fitness to practice, but it will be used to promote good practice across the whole population of nurses and midwives. The NMC have also confirmed that this is not intended to address bad practice amongst a select few nurses and midwives.

Sign up or log-in to the NMC Online to find out your revalidation and renewal date. Be sure to keep all of your contact information up to date so that they can send important reminders. You will receive notification from the NMC at least 60 days prior to your application renewal.

It’s the first day of the month in which your registration expiries. So if you know your registration expires on the 12 June 2016, your revalidation date will be the 1 June 2016.

You will need to submit your application to revalidate through NMC Online. If you haven’t registered with NMC Online you can do so here: http://www.nmc.org.uk/Registration/NMC-Online/

Ref: RFS: BR-HH 2016 Revalidation FAQs If you don’t submit your revalidation application in time your registration will lapse which means that it will be illegal for you to practice as a nurse. To return onto the register you will have to apply for readmission which could take up to six weeks. If you submit your revalidation application in time but it is refused because you have failed to meet your revalidation requirements, you can appeal this decision within 28 days of the date on your decision letter.

The NMC have special arrangements in place for nurses and midwives who cannot meet the revalidation requirements as a result of exceptional circumstances. By exceptional circumstances they mean that you have not been in practice for sufficient time between October 2015 when the revalidation guidance was published and your revalidation application date(for example, if you have been on maternity leave or sick leave) to meet the additional requirements, or you cannot meet one or more of the requirements at any time because a protected characteristic under the Equality Act may apply.

If you are able to establish that exceptional circumstances apply in your case, you will still need to meet the Prep requirements for renewal. Please see NMC guidance sheet on exceptional circumstances for further information at: www.nmc.org.uk/standards/revalidation/revalidationguidance-and-resources.

The NMC have said they will not usually consider any requests for extensions to submit a revalidation application. You should have met the requirements during the three years prior to the renewal of your registration. However, if you believe that you have a good reason why you cannot submit your revalidation application by the specified date, you must contact the NMC as far in advance of your revalidation application date as possible to discuss your situation.

The NMC state in their guidance that they are only able to grant an extension prior to the date your registration is due to lapse. Any extensions will only be granted for a period of up to six weeks. In granting an extension, the NMC will take into account:

• Whether you have contacted the NMC in advance of the date your revalidation application is due;
• The reason why you cannot submit your revalidation application by the specified date;
• Whether you are capable of completing the outstanding revalidation requirements and submitting your application within the additional period of time;
• Whether there are any concerns about your fitness to practice, and
• Whether the annual fee has been or will be paid by the required date.

Any extension the NMC agree in relation to your revalidation application would not include an extension to the date on which your annual fee is due to be paid.

Ref: RFS: BR-HH 2016 Revalidation FAQs After you have submitted the application and have paid your renewal fee’s you will have the option of printing off confirmation of your submitted application. Once your application has been successfully processed and your payment has been received, the NMC will send you an email confirming that your registration has been renewed. We recommended that you check the register on the NMC online to double check that it’s completed and approved.

You will still be required to revalidate and evidence the requirements. If you have any concerns, contact the NMC and raise the question with them to get clarification. Do you have a question that you would like an answer to? E-mail us at revalidation@icare24.co.uk with your questions and we will do our best to help find the answer.

One of the requirements of revalidation is that all nurses and midwives must have a reflective discussion with another NMC-registered nurse or midwife. This discussion is designed to encourage a culture of sharing, reflection, and improvement amongst nurses and midwives by:

• Requiring nurses and midwives to discuss their professional development and improvement; and

• Ensuring that nurses and midwives do not work in professional isolation.

This discussion should be based on your five written reflective accounts, which are another requirement of revalidation. For more details of the revalidation requirements and how to meet them, please see ICARE24 Group Revalidation Guidance Sheet. The NMC also provides examples of written reflective accounts on their website:
http://www.nmc.org.uk/standards/revalidation/revalidation-guidance-and-resources/

In this reflective discussion guidance sheet we provide both general and ICARE24 Group specific information for nurses and midwives who are revalidating.

The reflective discussion will be most valuable to all nurses and midwives if you consider how you can benefit from it. Reflection enables you to make sense of a situation and understand how it has affected you. The reflective discussion should be a positive experience that offers both participants the opportunity to help each other to think about their practice and learn from others.

For nurses or midwives who are revalidating, it gives you the opportunity to respond constructively to feedback, experiences, and learning. It also allows you to identify areas for learning and development, and to consider how you can put changes or improvements into action in your everyday practice as a result.

Nurses and midwives who are revalidating Ref: RFS: BR-HH 2016 Reflective Discussion Guidance The reflective discussion centres on your five written reflective accounts. These accounts should be based on instances of your CPD and/or feedback you have received about your practice and/or an event or experience in your practice, and how these relate to the Code. Before you have your reflective discussion, you need to have written your five reflective accounts on the NMC form we have provided. You may want to share your reflective accounts with your discussion partner in advance. You also need to choose who to have your reflective discussion with. Some factors to consider when choosing your discussion partner include:

• How well you know them: you might prefer to have the discussion with a colleague you work with regularly, or with someone you are less familiar with;
• Whether they undertake the same type of practice as you: you might find it more helpful to discuss your reflective accounts with someone who has had similar experiences to you, or someone with different experiences; and
• Whether they are senior or junior to you, or at the same level: would you find it valuable to have insight from someone who has been working at a different level to you?

It is up to you to choose who the most appropriate person is, and you can have discussions with more than one nurse or midwife if you want to. However, please note that although you only need to record the details of one discussion, this discussion must cover your five written reflective accounts. Part of the revalidation process involves demonstrating to a confirmer that you have met the revalidation requirements. If your confirmer is a nurse or midwife and you choose to have your reflective discussion with them, your reflective discussion can form part of the confirmation discussion. If your confirmer is not a nurse or midwife, or you choose to have your reflective discussion with a different nurse or midwife, you will need to have your reflective discussion before your confirmation discussion. If your line manager is a nurse or midwife, you might like to have both your reflective discussion and your confirmation discussion as part of an annual appraisal, if you have one, but this is not necessary. If you work with Icare24 24on a full time or regular basis, you will be given access to a Icare24 24Reflective Discussion Partner and Confirmer. To make your Reflective Discussion or Confirmation Appointment please contact revalidation@Icare24.co.uk. Ref: RFS: BRHH 2016 Reflective Discussion Guidance Using A Icare24 24Reflective Discussion Partner Icare24 Reflective Discussion Partners will ask all Nurses and Midwives wishing to undertake reflective discussion to share their five written reflective accounts with them beforehand. These will be used as a starting point for the reflective discussion, and you might like to think about what lessons can be learned from these accounts beforehand.

To help structure your discussion you will be asked some questions. These could include:

• What did you learn?
• What effect did this have on you?
• How might you change your practice as a result?

The discussion itself is based on the five written reflective accounts. These accounts link real-life experiences to the four key themes of the Code (prioritise people, practise effectively, preserve safety, promote professionalism and trust). This is an opportunity for to refamiliarise yourselves with the Code and gain a greater understanding of how it applies to your everyday nursing and/or midwifery practice. It may be helpful for you to bring a copy of the Code with you to the discussion. You can use the reflective discussion in lots of different ways, for example:

• To share ideas, information and experiences;
• To debrief after an incident;
• To get another person’s perspective on a situation; and
• To think about professional development objectives.

Your discussion partner can offer a different perspective on an event or piece of feedback, help you to reach a conclusion, or develop an action plan for the future. During your discussion you should not discuss patients, service users or colleagues in a way that could identify them unless they expressly agree. Unless the reflective discussion is part of the confirmation discussion, you do not need to consider evidence relating to other revalidation requirements. Ref: RFS: BR-HH 2016 Reflective Discussion Guidance

Nurses and midwives who are revalidating You must record details of your reflective discussion on the NMC form. You need to record your name and NMC Pin. You should keep the completed and signed form. You will need to show it to your confirmer as evidence that you have had a reflective discussion (unless your confirmer was your reflective discussion partner).

Please remember: The written reflective accounts, and the discussion summary section of the reflective discussion form, must not include any information that might identify an individual, whether that individual is alive or deceased. This means that all information must be recorded in a way that no patient, colleague or other individual can be identified from the information.

The reflective discussion form should be completed, stored and shared in manual paper form only, as opposed to electronically. This is important because creating, storing or sharing these data electronically may trigger an obligation to register with the Information Commissioner because they contain identifying information about another NMC-registered nurse or midwife.

Nurses and midwives who are revalidating As part of your online application you will need to declare that you have had a reflective discussion with another NMC-registered nurse or midwife, and you will need to enter the name, NMC Pin and email of the nurse or midwife with whom you had the discussion, as well as the date you had the reflective discussion. You will also need to agree that the NMC can contact your reflective discussion partner if necessary to verify the information that you provided in your application.