The number of overseas nurses and midwives registering to work in the UK has
risen enormously, according to nursing council UKCC.
Final figures for 2000-2001 show that more than 8,400 nurses and midwives
trained in non-EU countries registered to work in Britain, up 41 per cent on
the previous 12 months.
The largest number – 3,396 – came from the Philippines, compared with 1,052
for the previous year, making the country the largest overseas contributor of
nurses for the first time.
South Africa and Australia were the second and third highest, each sending
about 1,000.
Thirteen countries provided more than 30 nurses and midwives for the first
time.
Verity Lewis, employment relations adviser at the Royal College of Nursing,
said overseas nurses should be treated in the same way as those from the UK.
"While many employers inside and outside the independent health care
sector are developing good practice in terms of helping nurses to adapt to life
in the UK, we must also be aware that some are engaging in explicit and illegal
employment practices," she said.
Tracy Myhill, president-elect for the Association of Healthcare Human
Resources Management, warned that overseas recruitment should not be seen as a
long-term solution.
"We have to get our workforce planning better to be able to supply our
own nurses," she said.
