Return to Practice

How you re-join the register depends on how long you’ve been away and how many practice hours you completed before you left. If you’ve completed 450 hours of registered practice in the last three years, or 750 hours of registered practice in the last five years, you can apply to re-join the register right away.

Visit the Nursing & Midwifery Council website to find out more about re-joining the register (opens new browser tab)

Read more about the RTP programme on The Health Careers website (opens new browser tab)

If you’re not quite there, don’t worry. We can help you apply for a return to practice programme to practice course at one of our local universities. These can take between three to 12 months to complete and involve a work placement to help you complete your practice hours. Currently NHS England will cover your university fees, but please check this when you apply.

Take a look at our local universities to find a return-to-work course that's right for you:

Bournemouth University 

Contact: returntonursing@bournemouth.ac.uk

Delivery: Blended learning (online and face to face) 

Intake: January

University of Brighton

Contact: RtPNursing@brighton.ac.uk

Delivery: Online

Intake: September and February

University of Plymouth

Contact: rtp@plymouth.ac.uk

Delivery: Online

Intake: September and February

To participate, you’ll need to commit to: A minimum of 15 hours of fully flexible shifts across at least two days per week

As part of the course, Hampshire Hospitals will provide:

• A Placement: This will be supernumerary and unpaid, although funding is available from NHSE. We’re happy to discuss the type of placement that best aligns with your goals and needs. Placements are available across all three of our sites: Andover, Basingstoke, and Winchester.
• Honorary Contract: This includes DBS clearance and occupational health checks.
• Trust Induction: Including Basic Life Support (BLS) and Manual Handling training.
• Clinical Skills Study Days: You’ll be able to attend relevant sessions such as Deteriorating Patient, Venepuncture, and Cannulation.
• Attendance at study days /online sessions.

Are you a midwife that left the profession and now has a desire to return?

Would flexible hours, full or part-time, with a fixed term contract (AfC Band 3 £21,730 (WTE)) for the duration of your training appeal to you?

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are looking for midwives with lapsed registration to return to the career.

At Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, we provide maternity care to women across Hampshire and parts of Berkshire, caring for approximately 5800 women and their families every year.  We have two obstetric units and a free-standing birth centre, and we are committed to constantly improving our service. We are part of the SHIP collaborative (Southampton, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Portsmouth) and our SHIP LMS is a Pioneer for Choice and Continuity.

We are delighted to offer a fully funded package to support midwives with lapsed NMC registration to return to practice. This supernumerary role comes with salary to support completion of practice hours, education and training required to return to the NMC register as a midwife.  We have a thriving practice development team offering coaching and clinical skills training within the clinical setting. Our team of professional midwifery advocates (PMAs) can offer ongoing pastoral support and clinical supervision during training and whilst supporting the transition back to midwifery.  The return to practice programme is expected to last around 6 months but this will vary for individuals based on full or part-time hours.

The key responsibilities include:                                               

• Attending a 16 week academic course online with University of Plymouth
• Submission and completion of 20 credit assessment module.
• Access additional academic support for returning learners offered by the University.
• Complete the 450 hours clinical practice as required for NMC registration on placement in Basingstoke or Winchester.
• Complete Trust mandatory training and maternity mandatory training compliance.
• Develop clinical skills through practice supervision, reflection, and coaching opportunities.

If you are thinking about returning to midwifery and would like to know more or to arrange an informal chat,  please contact  Sarah.mellor@hhft.nhs.uk or Selina.smith@hhft.nhs.uk  

University of Plymouth: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/study/cpd/return-to-practice

Further information is also available from the Health Education England website: https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/return-practice

Returning to practice as an Allied Health Professional (AHP)

If you’re looking to restart your career as an Allied Health Professional, you’ll need to re-join the register through the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

• Visit the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) website to re-join the register (opens new browser tab).
• Look at the Health Education England website to find out more about re-joining the profession (opens new browser tab).

• If you’ve been out of practice for less than two years you can re-join right away
• If you’ve been out of practice for two to five years, then you need to spend 30 days updating your skills and knowledge
• If you’ve been out of practice for five years or more then you need to spend 60 days updating your skills and knowledge

Whether you decide to take on a work placement in one of our services or go on a return to practice course at a university, get in touch with our Learning Environment team, and we’ll help you start your journey back into work

Contact us

Get in touch with our Learning Environment Team to start your journey back into practice today and email: learningenvironment@hhft.nhs.uk

Use link below to access our Expression of Interest form:

Return to Practice - Expression of Interest form

We are keen to encourage healthcare scientists to return to practice at Hampshire Hospitals.

First steps: please remember to contact Health Education England who will sign post you to the National information: R2PAHP-HCS@hee.nhs.uk

Further information is also available from the Health Education England website.

For more information and to find out how to apply please contact learningenvironment@hhft.nhs.uk