Where are all the new nurses? Hospitals forced to look abroad for recruits
A hospital will recruit nurses from India, the Philippines and China because of a shortage in the UK, it was revealed today.
New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton will take on 170 staff over the next year as part of a £3.6 million recruitment drive.
But bosses say they will have to recruit foreign staff because of a shortage of qualified nurses in the UK. It mirrors moves by the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Russells Hall Hospital.
The Dudley hospital said a recent drive to take on 18 new nurses led to just one appointment, while Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust said it was 'currently exploring the possibility of international recruitment for nurses'.
Star comment: Overseas staff to fill nurses shortage
Denise Harnin, director of human resources at New Cross, admitted taking on nurses from overseas can bring added complications. "The process of bringing in a new nurse from abroad can be time consuming when you take into account training and acclimatisation," she said.
"However it is necessary for us to recruit in this way because there are simply not enough nurses in the UK system."
Trust Chief David Loughton said recruiting from overseas will cost the trust an additional £250,000 when sourcing and interviewing applicants. "On a daily basis we are having to risk assess where to place staff to ensure patient safety. This is not a good way to run a hospital," he said.
Paula Clark, chief executive of the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, said: "The Dudley Group, like many other trusts, has been forced to look overseas to recruit qualified nurses with acute hospital experience. We plan to actively recruit from Europe in the New Year."
Maxine Bygraves, chair of Wolverhampton Healthwatch, said: "I think the coverage of Mid-Staffordshire and the sanctions doctors and nurses face for medical negligence has possibly put people off going into the profession."
