The primary purpose of the NMC is to ensure public safety and high standards when being cared for by a nurse, midwife or health visitor

Jonathan Asbridge, NMC president

A poll carried out to mark the launch shows that three-quarters of people support the idea of giving the public a greater say in the way health staff are regulated.

All nurses, midwives and health visitors have to register with the NMC before they can practise.

The council will also set standards for education, practice and conduct.

It will also look at any allegations of misconduct made against nurses, midwives or health visitors and can remove people from the register if allegations are proved.

Safety focus

Thinking on how bodies regulating health professions should operate changed after the publication of the Kennedy report in the baby heart deaths at Bristol Royal Infirmary.

It called for people who use the NHS to have a greater say in regulation to improve protection of the public.

The 11 lay people on the NMC will include businessmen and women, health campaigners, consumer activists and a director of a mental health user support group. They come from across the UK.

There will also be a mix of lay and professional people on the committees with the power to remove health professionals from the registers for misconduct.

Other plans for public involvement on the NMC include targeted information on the website detailing how members of the public can make a complaint about a nurse or midwife.

The council is also to planning to have an annual general meeting. The NMC believes it is the first health regulator to do this.

Balance

Jonathan Asbridge, president of the NMC, said: "The primary purpose of the NMC is to ensure public safety and high standards when being cared for by a nurse, midwife or health visitor.

"Having effective lay representation on the council and its committees, and involving the public in all aspects of its work, is key to this goal.

"As the first of the new style health regulators, we want to demonstrate that a balance of lay and professional membership works well in the public interest."

A Royal College of Nursing spokeswoman said: "The composition of the NMC council is quite different to the UKCC.

"It's going to mean a stronger patient focus, and greater transparency."