A massive 17% of all registered nurses and midwives are trained outside of the UK.
The Health Secretary has pledged to recruit 10,000 more registered nurses and 5,000 more healthcare support workers from overseas by March 2022.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Sajid Javid pledged to ramp up international recruitment to help the NHS recover from the pandemic.
In November, nearly six million patients in England were waiting to start routine hospital treatment, the highest since records began in August 2007. England’s hospital waiting lists may exceed 10 million by 2024.
Earlier this month, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) warned that wealthier counties poaching nurses from poorer counties raises serious ethical questions – especially during a pandemic.
Currently, a massive 17% of all registered nurses and midwives are trained outside of the UK.
High levels of unfilled nurse jobs.
Health unions have warned that the current NHS recovery plan is pointless without more staff.
Speaking previously about bolstering the workforce, Pat Cullen, General Secretary and Chief Executive of the RCN said: “Nursing staff will look at this plan and ask where the staff will credibly come from to deliver it in good time.
“Hospital care improvement is not possible in isolation – social care and community services too, each operating with high levels of unfilled nurse jobs, require equal attention.
“Every response today – from health and care leaders and across the political divide – asks this government to get a grip of workforce planning. It is critical to the safety of patients.
“The staffing crisis is heavily of their making and they must be accountable for fixing it. Too many of our members are considering their career choice this year and measures to keep them in post, including fairer pay, must be announced at speed.”
