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an accident in Large numbers of international nurses and midwives are coming to Britain “Alarm bells should be ringing” Experts have warned that stricter immigration rules could impact the ability of the NHS to care for patients.
one approx 50 percent decline in the number of foreign nurses coming to work in Britain Overall workforce growth slowed from April 1 to September, Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) said.
The regulator’s new figures have worried experts and healthcare leaders, who fear that the number of domestic nurses joining the healthcare system will not be able to fill the gap left by international workers.
Commentators pointed out that the health and care system has been dependent on international recruitment “for generations” and warned that plans to tighten visa rules and cut immigration could “deepen” workforce shortages.
Lynn Woolsey, chief nursing officer at the Royal College of Nursing, warned: “International recruitment is collapsing even before further hostile immigration policies are in place, while the number of domestic recruits continues to fall.
“At a time of already massive nursing staff shortages, with thousands of nursing jobs remaining unfilled, the dashboard for the future of services and patient care is flashing red.”
He added: “At the current rate, the number of domestic nurses joining will not compensate for the decline in foreign nursing staff coming to the UK.
“Now we need to see a serious, comprehensive, and fully funded plan to grow the domestic workforce and end hostile immigration policies.”
NMC figures show that from April 1 to September 30, some 6,321 international workers joined the register for the first time – a decline of 49.6 per cent compared with the same period last year, when 12,534 joined the register.
This means only 31.1 per cent of new joiners during the period were from outside the UK – a figure which is usually around 50 per cent, the NMC said.
NMC said factors could include better earning potential in different countries, visa changes and plans to increase domestic recruitment.
Paul Rees, chief executive and registrar of the NMC, said: “The high-growth era of international recruitment appears to be coming to an end. At the same time, domestic recruitment is stagnant.”
Suzie Bailey, director of leadership and organizational development at The King’s Fund, said: “The dramatic decline in international nurse and midwife recruitment and retention should raise alarm bells for politicians, health and care leaders and the people who rely on health and care services.
“Our health and care system has been dependent on international recruitment for generations.
“Recent proposals to cut immigration, tighten visa rules, and even deport people living here legally threaten to deepen the workforce shortage and jeopardize patient safety.”
He added: “These changes don’t just create gaps in the workforce, they can create fear and risk making talented and dedicated staff feel unwelcome. This can lead to longer wait times for patients as staff are overworked and feel undervalued.”
Overall, the NMC said it had a record number of 860,801 nurses, midwives and nursing aides on its register.
But it pointed to a slowdown in growth between April and September compared to the same time frame last year. It says black, Asian or minority ethnic nurses and midwives are being “held back” from experiences of racism.
Mr Rees said: “The overall growth of the UK nursing and midwifery workforce has slowed sharply.
“Yet, there are now more nurses, midwives and nursing associates on the register than ever before. The register is also becoming more ethnically diverse – a third of nursing and midwifery professionals are now black, Asian or minority ethnic.
“However, these professionals are often held back by their experiences of racism and other forms of discrimination that are unfortunately on the rise again in our society.
“Some of our registrants view the situation as worse now than at any time in the last 30 years, suggesting we have reached a crisis point.
“The entire health sector must do more to combat racism wherever it occurs, so that every nurse, midwife and nursing associate can feel safe, valued and able to provide the high-quality care that we will all rely on at some point in our lives.”