NMC Chief Executive, driven by own experiences of racism, commits to making the regulator fair and fit for the future.

Speaking on Newcross Healthcare's Voices of Care podcast, Paul Rees MBE, Chief Executive of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, reveals how childhood experiences of racism have shaped his mission to transform the UK's largest healthcare regulator into an anti-racist organisation committed to fairness and equity for all nursing and midwifery professionals.

In a candid conversation with host Suhail Mirza, Rees discusses the organisation's culture transformation, the maternity crisis, and nursing's critical role in delivering the Government's ten-year NHS plan.

FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE TO PROFESSIONAL MISSION
Rees spoke openly about experiences that have driven his commitment to equality. "I remember going to school and being kicked, punched, spat at," he revealed, adding: "I want to prove those people wrong. Those people who were saying, you'll never make it in life. The best thing you can hope to be is a bus driver."

These formative experiences led to what he describes as a lifelong commitment to standing up to discrimination and ensuring fairness for all, particularly those who are traditionally most marginalised.

NMC TRANSFORMATION: EMBEDDING ANTI-RACISM AND EDI
Rees joined the NMC in January 2025, six months after an Independent Cultural Review exposed serious problems with bullying, harassment and racism at the organisation. Moving at pace, he held town hall meetings with approximately 770 staff and published a culture transformation plan just eight weeks after starting.

"We've been rolling out one of the biggest coaching programs for managers in any health care regulator ever," Rees said. "So all of our managers are being coached on issues such as embedding EDI, creating psychological safety, promoting enjoyment at work to help turn the organisation around."

With approximately a third of all nurses and midwives being black, Asian and minority ethnic, Rees was clear about the NMC's approach: "if you're going to be an organisation that does the right thing, that ensures fairness, you've got to make sure you've got the right support in place for the people who traditionally are most marginalised. And so that means you do have to be an anti-racist organisation."

He highlighted current challenges: "in this current climate where unfortunately there are increased community tensions, there's a greater level of hate in society."

MATERNITY CRISIS AND REBUILDING TRUST
Addressing serious concerns around maternity services, Rees acknowledged: "too many women have lost their lives giving birth to children. There have been too many stillborn births."

The NMC is working closely with multiple reviews and inquiries, including those led by Baroness Amos, Sally Holland in Wales, and Donna Ockenden in Nottingham. Rees admitted the regulator needed to do more: "we've been doing work with some of the families in Nottingham, holding surgeries and saying openly that we haven't been reaching out to them as much as we should have done."

On fitness to practise reform, Rees pledged to eliminate disparities: "We want to make sure that if you're a nursing or midwifery professional, you won't be referred to our fitness to practise process just because of your background or your identity." Progress is being made, with case resolution times improving from 60.8% within 15 months in 2023 to over 71% today, and panel diversity increasing to nearly a quarter being black, Asian and minority ethnic.

NURSING AT THE HEART OF THE NHS
Emphasising the central importance of the professions, Rees stated: "So the nursing and midwifery professions are the backbone of the NHS, the backbone of health care services." He added: "They need a strong and effective and independent regulator, which is what we're building at the NMC."

Rees welcomed the Government's ten-year NHS plan and highlighted positive elements for nursing and midwifery, including reducing student attrition and establishing nursing and midwifery leaders in neighbourhoods.

Looking ahead, Rees outlined ambitious plans to modernise education standards, with new standards for practice learning to be produced next year. For the first time, the NMC is also developing formal standards for advanced practitioners by March 2028. The organisation will also update its code and revalidation process to ensure everything is "fit for purpose for the modern era."

On leadership, Rees acknowledged systemic challenges: "The healthcare environment is very hierarchical, and we need to ensure that nurses and midwives get the right support to enable them to become leaders." He concluded optimistically: "many nurses and midwives play really important leadership roles and it's important that that is enhanced and continues on an upward trajectory over the coming years."

END

The Voices of Care podcast, hosted by Suhail Mirza, continues to provide a platform for sector leaders to address critical issues facing health and social care across the UK.


About the Voice of Care Podcast 
The Voices of Care podcast, a Newcross Healthcare production hosted by Suhail Mirza, offers candid conversations with key figures in health and social care. Created to give a platform to those shaping the future of care, the podcast explores the biggest challenges facing the sector while spotlighting inspiring stories of innovation and leadership.

About Newcross Healthcare 
Newcross Healthcare is one of the UK's leading providers of social and health care services, both within the community and through healthcare staffing. With an extensive network of over 165,000 registered healthcare professionals and nearly three decades of expert experience, Newcross delivers high-quality care solutions that meet the diverse needs of patients and communities. 
For more information, visit www.newcrosshealthcare.com