section_path: National variations/Europe/United Kingdom
section_name: United Kingdom
paragraph_text: United Kingdom
  
  Nursing in the United Kingdom is the largest health care profession in the country. It has evolved from assisting doctors to encompass a variety of professional roles. Over 700,000 nurses practice, working in settings such as hospitals, health centres, nursing homes, hospices, communities, military, prisons, and academia. Most are employed by the National Health Service (NHS).
  
  Nurses work across all demographics and care areas: adults, children, mental health, and learning disability. Nurses work in specialties across medicine, surgery, theatres, and investigative sciences such as imaging. Nurses also work in sub-specialities such as respiratory, diabetes, cancer, neurology, infectious diseases, liver, research, cardiac, women's health, sexual health, emergency and acute care, gastrointestinal, infection prevention and control, neuroscience, ophthalmic, pain and palliative, and rheumatology. Nurses often work in multi-disciplinary teams, but increasingly work independently.
  
  To practise, all nurses and nursing associates must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).