A timeline, or chronology, is a simple table of dates and short summaries of events in your case: your career history, the role where concerns arose, key incidents, employer meetings, NMC correspondence and hearings, and the steps you have taken since. Build it as you go so it does not rely on memory, and use it as an aide-memoire for you and the people reviewing your case.
Key takeaways
- Start your timeline now: memory fades and gaps get filled in over time.
- Keep it simple: a table of dates and one-line summaries.
- Include your career history, the incidents, the investigation and everything you have done since.
- Record job applications and outcomes if you are struggling to find work.
Having a clear timeline of events is one of the most useful things you can do during a Fitness to Practise case. It sets out an evidence-based sequence of events and the key milestones that so often get lost when a case takes many months or years to conclude. With the passing of time, memories fade and our brains try to fill the gaps. A timeline built as you go doesn't rely on memory.
A well-structured chronology helps everyone understand exactly what happened, when it happened and what was done about it. It also gives you a point of reference to gather more information from.
What should my timeline include?
Keep it simple: a table of dates with a short summary of each event. You can give more detail later in your reflection or in evidence; the timeline is an aide-memoire for you and for those reviewing your case.
1. About you
Start with when and where you trained, your qualifications and your early experience. Then move to the role you were in when the concerns arose, including why you chose it and why you felt suitable for it at the time.
2. Where you worked
Include key dates from when you started the role through to the incidents being investigated. Reference mandatory training, courses, appraisals, supervision and feedback during that period. Lead towards the day in question, including any staffing pressures or contributing factors.
3. What happened after
Outline the steps you have taken since: efforts to find work, further training and learning after the event. Include key dates such as investigation meetings with your employer, disciplinary meetings, the date of your NMC referral, any interim order hearings and any employment you have secured.
What if I'm struggling to find work?
Add a chronology of your job applications and the reasons they were not successful. It helps the NMC understand your situation, and it may help you spot patterns you hadn't noticed.
Read how to keep strengthening your practice when you can't find work for ideas.
How a timeline can help your case
A Fitness to Practise case can generate thousands of pages, many of them repeated, and key information can be missed. A timeline organises it and brings clarity. It can also prompt useful questions: for example, if your timeline shows other incidents on the unit that you raised concerns about, has the NMC looked into them to understand the context?
If it isn't written down, it didn't happen. That applies to your Fitness to Practise case too.
Download our NMC case timeline template to get started, and see how to give context to the NMC.
Frequently asked questions
Keep each entry short: a date and a one or two line summary. Detail belongs in your reflection, statements and supporting documents.
A clear chronology helps case examiners and panels follow what happened and what you have done since. It also helps you and your representative prepare.
Not automatically. Keep it for yourself and discuss with your representative whether and when to share it.
