On 21 July 2026, the Nursing and Midwifery Council will present proposals for a new Code and revalidation process to its governing Council. The meeting is a procedural milestone. But the agenda makes it clear this is more than a routine update.
For the first time, AI and digital technology are confirmed as official discussion themes in a formal review of professional standards.
The NMC's Council will be asked to approve the launch of a public consultation on changes to the Code and revalidation process. If approved, that consultation will open in September 2026 and run for 12 weeks.
This is the step that turns research into action. The NMC has been running roundtables and analysing the 12,500+ responses from its initial engagement survey. The July Council meeting is where those findings become a formal proposal.
The roundtables have surfaced seven lines of enquiry for the review. Number six is digital technology and AI. The NMC itself says this theme is about "future-proofing standards for digital changes in healthcare."
The specific areas under discussion include:
Clearer standards on safe use of AI in clinical practice.
Professional accountability when AI tools assist decision-making.
Guidance on professional boundaries with social media and digital tools.
Making revalidation itself more digital-first.
This matters because the current Code was written before AI tools were widely used in healthcare. There is no existing standard that tells a nurse what accountability looks like when an AI summarises a patient note, flags a medication interaction, or suggests a differential diagnosis. The new Code will need to address that gap.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 21 July 2026 | NMC Council meeting. Proposals presented. Consultation approval sought. |
| September to December 2026 | 12-week public consultation |
| May 2027 | Findings reported to Council |
| October 2027 | New Code and revalidation process approved |
| April 2028 | New requirements go live |
The July meeting is the inflection point. Before it, the review is research. After it, the review is a public conversation with concrete proposals on the table.
If these proposals go through, revalidation is heading toward a digital-first system. The NMC is talking about integrating CPD tracking, reflective accounts, and practice feedback into a single workflow. They are asking how AI can make revalidation more robust and less burdensome.
The direction of travel is clear. The question is whether you start preparing now or scramble when the changes land.
While the NMC is still discussing what digital revalidation could look like, Revalidation Copilot already does it. The app lets you track CPD hours, log practice hours, draft reflective accounts with guided AI assistance, and export your full portfolio when you need it. All in one place. All aligned with the current Code. All designed to work with whatever the new standards throw at you.
The NMC's review confirms what we built this for. If you want a tool that moves in the same direction the regulator is heading, this is it.
Download Revalidation Copilot for freeDigital-first CPD tracking. The NMC wants revalidation to be less paper-heavy and more integrated. Revalidation Copilot tracks your CPD hours and practice hours automatically, categorises them, and shows you where you stand against the 35-hour and 450-hour requirements. No spreadsheets. No lost certificates.
Guided reflective accounts. The NMC's review specifically mentions making reflective accounts more meaningful. Revalidation Copilot guides you through each reflection, linking it to the Code themes and the four NMC reflective account prompts. You type your experience. The app helps you structure it. You keep clinical ownership of every word.
Portfolio export on demand. When your revalidation date arrives, you need a clean, complete portfolio. Revalidation Copilot generates yours in one click. CPD log, reflective accounts, practice hours, all formatted and ready for your confirmer and the NMC portal.
Built with the Code in mind. Every feature in Revalidation Copilot was designed around the NMC Code's four themes: prioritise people, practise effectively, preserve safety, promote professionalism and trust. When the new Code arrives, we will update to match. You won't need to switch tools.
The NMC publishes Council meeting papers in advance. They will contain the detail of the proposed changes. Look for the sections on digital technology and AI. This is where Revalidation Copilot's features map onto the NMC's direction of travel.
The September consultation is your chance to shape the outcome. If you have a view on how AI should be regulated in nursing, this is the moment to express it. Consultations carry more weight when they include real experience of using the tools being discussed.
You do not need to wait for a consultation or a new Code to start using a better way to manage revalidation. Revalidation Copilot is free. It works with the current system, and we will keep it aligned with the Code as things evolve.
Thousands of UK nurses already use Revalidation Copilot to track CPD, log hours, and write reflective accounts. Join them before the September consultation changes the conversation.
Download Revalidation CopilotThe 21 July Council meeting is the most significant date in the revalidation calendar since the process was introduced in 2016. The NMC is not just updating a document. It is rewriting the standards for a profession that now operates in a fundamentally different technological environment than it did a decade ago.
AI being confirmed as a discussion theme is not a side note. It is the regulator acknowledging that the tools are here, they are being used, and the standards need to catch up.
That is not a threat. It is a signal that the future this product was built for is arriving on schedule. And you can start using it today.
This article was written for informational purposes. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. For official Council meeting papers and updates, visit nmc.org.uk.