NMC agreed removal is a process that lets a nurse, midwife or nursing associate facing fitness to practise proceedings apply to leave the register. It is only allowed if the Assistant Registrar agrees, and if granted it ends the case without consideration by the Fitness to Practise Committee. It can be requested at any stage. In 2024 to 2025, the NMC received 221 applications and granted 105.
Key takeaways
- Agreed removal ends the case without a panel hearing, if the NMC agrees.
- It was called voluntary removal before April 2023.
- It is not automatic: in 2024 to 2025, 146 applications were rejected.
- Any interim order must be revoked before the removal takes effect.
Some people reach a point in a long fitness to practise case where they wonder whether they want to carry on. Perhaps you were planning to retire, perhaps your health has changed, or perhaps you simply cannot face a hearing. Agreed removal is the NMC's process for these situations. This article explains what the NMC says about it. It is general information, not legal advice, and this is a decision to make with advice, not alone at midnight.
What is NMC agreed removal?
The NMC's guidance says that if you are subject to fitness to practise proceedings, you can apply to be removed from the register. Removal while proceedings are ongoing is only allowed if the Assistant Registrar agrees, and the NMC calls this the agreed removal process. If it is agreed, the proceedings end without consideration by the Fitness to Practise Committee.
The process also applies if you are not under investigation but tell the NMC about a potential regulatory concern when you apply to leave the register. Before April 2023, it was called voluntary removal.
Who decides whether agreed removal is granted?
Decisions can be made by the Registrar or by Assistant Registrars, who are NMC employees authorised to act on the Registrar's behalf. The NMC says these decisions are normally made by an Assistant Registrar. A panel does not decide whether you may leave the register.
When can I apply for agreed removal?
At any stage. The NMC's annual fitness to practise report says requests can be made at any point in the fitness to practise process.
Is agreed removal always accepted?
No. The NMC says it must be satisfied that removal is in the public interest. In every case it considers carefully whether it is in the public interest to keep someone on the register so that the fitness to practise process can continue, for example where there are very serious concerns that will always need to be fully investigated and put before an independent panel. Its guidance includes a section on circumstances where agreed removal will not be appropriate.
The figures show how real that is. In 2024 to 2025, the NMC received 221 agreed removal applications, granted 105 and rejected 146. In 2023 to 2024, it received 339, granted 154 and rejected 155. The NMC notes the figures do not balance in-year, because some decisions are made the year after the request.
What happens if I have an interim order?
The NMC's guidance on interim order reviews explains that if the Assistant Registrar approves removal, any interim order in place must be revoked before the removal can take effect. The NMC will schedule an early review, usually at a meeting, and invite the panel to revoke the order. The panel does not decide whether you should be removed; that remains the Assistant Registrar's decision. The NMC's position is that removal deals with the risk of unrestricted practice, because you cannot practise at all, so it seems unlikely a panel could find the interim order test still met.
What does agreed removal mean for my future?
Once removed, you cannot practise as a registered nurse, midwife or nursing associate. The NMC's agreed removal guidance has a section on readmission to the register, so read it, and ask a solicitor what returning would involve in your situation before you apply. Do not assume the door will stay open in the same way it would for someone whose registration simply lapsed.
What should I weigh up before applying?
- Your reasons: retirement, health, a change of career, or the weight of the process. All are valid, but they lead to different decisions.
- Whether you might want to practise again, in the UK or elsewhere, and what that would require.
- What your case looks like now. A strong record of insight and strengthened practice may change how you feel about continuing.
- Your finances, including income from nursing work and any effect on pensions or employment. Ask the relevant adviser.
- Your wellbeing. Ending a case can bring relief, and it can also bring grief. Plan support for both.
Leaving the register can feel like losing part of who you are. Many people describe needing time to grieve their professional identity, even when it is the right choice. That is not weakness; it is a measure of how much the work meant.
For help thinking it through, read professional identity during FtP and coping with a long investigation. If you decide to carry on, demonstrating insight is a good next step.
When to get legal advice
Before you apply. Agreed removal is a significant legal step with lasting consequences. Speak to your union (RCN, RCM, Unison or Unite), your indemnity provider or a regulatory solicitor. For confidential emotional support at any hour, call NMC Careline on 0800 587 7396. Fit 2 Practise does not give legal advice; our 1:1 mentorship can help you think through what matters to you.
Frequently asked questions
No. Agreed removal is a decision by the Assistant Registrar to let you leave the register and end the proceedings without a hearing. A striking-off order is a sanction imposed by a Fitness to Practise Committee panel after a hearing or meeting. In both cases you cannot practise while off the register.
You can apply for agreed removal, but it is not automatic. The NMC must be satisfied it is in the public interest, and it may refuse where serious concerns need to be put before a panel. In 2024 to 2025, more applications were rejected than granted.
The NMC's guidance says removal while fitness to practise proceedings are ongoing is only allowed if the Assistant Registrar agrees. Do not assume that stopping payment will end your case. Take advice from your union or a regulatory solicitor first.
No. The NMC says that decision belongs to the Assistant Registrar. If removal is approved, a panel reviews any interim order so it can be revoked before the removal takes effect, and that review is usually held at a meeting.
