Dozens of Staffordshire nurses could relocate to Australia due to NHS job cuts.
The move follows an advertisement by Cairns Base Hospital in Queensland in a Staffordshire newspaper for about 90 nursing vacancies.
Denise Wilds, HR manager at the hospital, said the advertisement was a response to the impending job cuts in the area.
“We had heard that there were job losses in this area and saw it as an opportunity to offer employment to those nurses and their families affected,” she said.
Wilds said they had already recieved 35 enquiries and were in the process of organising interviews.
The University Hospital of North Staffordshire confirmed that as many as 370 nursing jobs would go by September.
Chris Bourne, senior steward at the Royal College of Nursing, said British nurses were highly regarded by overseas employers.
“I think hospitals in other countries are aware of what is going on with the number of nurses being made redundant,” he said.
Up to 1,200 jobs in total need to be cut at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire to help clear its estimated £15.5m debt.
