Nursing crisis in the UK

Nursing shortages in the UK have forced NHS to recruit overseas, with Spain and Portugal among the most popular hunting grounds for recruiters.

According to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), in fact, nurses who trained abroad have become a fundamental source of new entrants, making up 40 per cent of new  staff in 2012.

It is not surprising that between 2010 and 2012 the number of ‘qualified in the UK’ nurses working for the health service reduced by more than 6,000. In fact, the number of nursing course places has fallen 2,500 during the last three years.

Dr Peter Carter, chief executive of the RCN, said: “It is perplexing that on one hand nursing posts are being cut and training places being reduced, while on the other, desperate managers are raiding overseas workforces.”

As if it was not enough, according to an independent analysis of the nursing workforce found by the RCN, 24 per cent of registered nurses are set to retire in the next five tears.

NHS services are under strain from an ageing population with increasing healthcare demands, high expectations and no financial growth. It needs radical reform to avoid a financial black hole by the end of the decade.

The Government needs to invest seriously in this workforce to attract nurses and to keep them for the long term.

This means that even though short term recruitment goals have been met, the real challenge is far from over.