The basis on which all nurses practice in the UK is set out in the Nursing and Midwifery Council, Code of Conduct for Members . This document provides the NMC definitive advice on professional conduct to its practitioners. As professional duties require a degree of autonomy and independence, personal accountability for these actions is necessary. The Code therefore aims to explain the extent of a nurse's accountability and assist in the exercise of it (Glover).

All nurses are strongly advised to read and understand the NMC Code of Conduct for Members(and other NMC documents). It is important to remember that the NMC Code of Conduct applies to all NMC registered nurses, wherever in the world they are practising.