Half of latest UK nurses ‘from overseas’: council

Practically half of latest UK nurses and midwives are from overseas, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) stated on Wednesday, prompting issues of an over-reliance on international staff.

The NMC’s annual report confirmed 48 % of the 48,436 new nurses and midwives have been from different nations, with 66 % from India or the Philippines.

Between 2017 and 2018, 2,719 nurses and midwives from different nations joined, making up 11 % of the brand new workforce on the time.

Andrea Sutcliffe, chief government and registrar on the NMC, stated the brand new figures confirmed the workforce “has grow to be extra reliant on internationally educated professionals becoming a member of our register”.

“These professionals make a welcome and very important contribution to our nation’s well being and wellbeing. However we will not take them without any consideration,” she stated.

“Two years in the past, we felt the pandemic’s impression on international journey, the variety of worldwide joiners to our register fell sharply.

“A future pandemic or different international disruption might see historical past repeat itself, however with an excellent larger impression on the general progress of the register.”

Like different wealthy nations, the UK has an extended custom of recruiting workers from growing nations to fulfill the wants of its well being service.

However workers shortages have shot up, pushed by the COVID-19 pandemic and a dramatic drop in nurses recruited from jap Europe on account of Brexit.

General nursing workers numbers have elevated to 758,300 however a rising variety of persons are additionally leaving the register, 27,133 over the past 12 months, 13 % greater than the 12 months earlier than, the NMC stated.

Causes for leaving included retirement and “stress” within the office, the council stated.

The overall secretary and chief government of the Royal Faculty of Nursing Pat Cullen stated the excessive variety of nurses leaving “is being felt profoundly by each sufferers and nurses alike”.

“We once more query how sustainable it’s to recruit half of all new nurses from all over the world,” Cullen stated.

“The UK’s well being and care workforce is proudly numerous, however it should be achieved ethically and are available concurrently elevated funding in training and home staff.”

© 2022 AFP