NMC PIN checks and nurse references
Check the register first, then ask the people who worked with them. Here is how to do an NMC check properly, and where references fit.
How do you do an NMC check?
To do an NMC check, search the nurse or midwife's PIN on the Nursing and Midwifery Council register at nmc.org.uk. The result shows whether they can practise without restrictions, have conditions or a caution, or are suspended or removed. Employers can request a login for the NMC Employer Confirmations service to check up to 10 PINs at once. RefAssure then collects their references.
How to check an NMC PIN, in four steps.
Get the PIN and full name
Ask for the PIN and the name exactly as registered. Do not accept a PIN or NMC paperwork on its own as proof.
Search the register
Use Search the register on the NMC website, or the Employer Confirmations service for up to 10 PINs at once.
Read the status
Check the name matches, the status is effective with no restrictions, and the part of the register fits the role.
Record it and recheck
Save the date and result on file. Registration is renewed every year and revalidated every three years, so recheck at renewal.
What does an NMC register check show?
The NMC register covers nurses and midwives in the UK and nursing associates in England. A search returns one of three broad outcomes:
- Effective registration with no restrictions: fees paid, registration up to date, no conditions or caution order.
- On the register with restrictions or a caution order: they may still work, but you need to read and plan around the conditions.
- Suspended or removed: they are not currently allowed to practise as a registered professional.
Why a PIN alone is not enough
The NMC has warned employers about people using a real nurse's details to get work. Check that the name, and any other details you can see, match the person in front of you and their identity documents. Report anything that does not add up to the NMC.
What about healthcare assistants?
Healthcare assistants and care workers are not on the NMC register, so there is no PIN to check. Their references carry more weight. See healthcare assistant references.
What the register cannot tell you.
A clean register entry means no published restriction. It says nothing about how someone actually practised.
Concerns handled locally
Many concerns are dealt with by the employer through supervision or local processes and never reach the NMC.
Clinical practice day to day
Medicines management, record keeping and patient care are things a recent manager can describe and the register cannot.
Safeguarding suitability
Ask the referee directly whether they have any safeguarding concerns about the nurse working with patients.
Reason for leaving
Where the role involved vulnerable adults or children, the reason employment ended matters for the file.
Add your own fitness to practise questions.
RefAssure has no built-in NMC template. Add the questions you expect to your template once, and every nurse reference asks them.
- For example: "Do you have any concerns about this person's fitness to practise as a nurse?"
- Yes/no answers with a paragraph box for detail, plus 1 to 10 ratings for clinical skills
- Referees sign the completed reference on any device, with no login
- The PDF report keeps timestamps for consent, requests, reminders and completion
Ward managers are busy. We chase them.
5 emails and up to 2 texts over 12 days, stopping the moment the referee replies.
NMC check questions
More in the full FAQs.
Is the NMC register check free?
Searching the NMC register on the NMC website is free. Employers can also request a login for Employer Confirmations, which checks up to 10 PINs at once. Check the NMC website for current terms.
How often should I check NMC registration?
At appointment, and again around each renewal date. Registration is renewed annually and revalidated every three years, and conditions can be added at any time, so many employers recheck on a schedule.
What if the register shows conditions of practice?
Read the conditions carefully and decide whether the role can be arranged to meet them, for example with supervision. Ask the referee about them too. Take advice from your clinical lead before you confirm the appointment.
Does RefAssure do the NMC check for me?
No. You check the register on the NMC website. RefAssure collects the references and employment history, with consent, chasing and a signed PDF. See what references a nurse needs.
What if the NMC register search finds no one?
Check the spelling, try the PIN again, and confirm the name they registered under, which may differ from the name they use now. If you still cannot find them, do not let them work as a registered nurse until you can confirm their registration with the NMC.
Are nursing associates on the NMC register?
Yes. Nursing associates in England are registered with the NMC, so you check their PIN in the same way as a nurse.
What about doctors and allied health professionals?
Doctors are on the GMC register and many allied health professions are on the HCPC register. See GMC checks and HCPC register checks.
Related guides
PIN checked. Now the references.
Your first reference is free. RefAssure chases referees and files a signed PDF.