The number of EU Nurses registering to work in Britain has
fallen dramatically by 90% since the Brexit referendum according to new figures
by the UK nursing regulator and reports in The Telegraph and BBC.
Last July, just after the referendum where 52% of
British people voted to leave the European Union, 1,304 nurses joined the
nursing and midwifery register to work in the UK, official figures show. Last month the number
had plummeted to just 101 nurses.
Figures from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) also report
more EU nurses deciding to stop working in the UK at a time when every hospital
in the country reporting a shortage of nurses and many European countries, such
as Romania, Spain and Portugal have high unemployment and little opportunity for newly qualified nurses.
The NMC register shows that 318 decided to leave almost
double the number who left in June 2016
when the referendum took place.
European nurses, like their non-EU counterparts, are now
required to take a language test, which may partly account for the drop in registrations.
There is also a fall in of overseas nurses requesting an application pack to
register to work in the UK, with only 453 enquiries in December compared with
697 in July.
In January 2016, just under 3,700 EU nurses and midwives applied
for an NMC application pack, but following the introductions of English
language test the following month, the number fell to 861. EU nurses do not
need to carry out competence tests, as their qualifications are accepted by the
NMC.
The health sector and NHS depends on overseas workers and in
2015/16, 9,388 overseas nurses and midwives registered to come work in the UK.
NMC chief executive Jackie Smith, said: “This is the first
sign of a change following the EU referendum and it is our responsibility as
the regulator to share these figures with the public.”
She said it was too early to “definitively” link the trends
to Brexit.
Janet Davies, chief executive of the Royal College of
Nursing, said: “If this is the beginning of a long-term drop in the number of
nurses coming to the UK from other parts of the EU, that’s a serious concern at
a time when we’re already facing a crisis in nurse staffing numbers.”
“With 24,000 nursing vacancies across the UK, the NHS could
not cope without the contribution from EU nurses. Without a guarantee that EU
nationals working in the NHS can remain, it will be much harder to retain and
recruit staff from the EU, and patient care will suffer as a result.”
The 2016 Immigration Act has introduced tough new measures
for illegal migrants and visa overstayers, but the new £30,000
minimum salary for a work permit and settlement rules may be deterring
overseas nurses,
Based on my own previous experience on recruitment trips to Romania, Spain, Portugal and Bulgaria, the UK is not always the first choice for EU nurses.Many would choose Germany, France or Belgium, which offer excellent packages. Unlike non-EU nurses on work permits, EU nurses are more transient and prepared to return home after a period on working in the UK.
Based on my own previous experience on recruitment trips to Romania, Spain, Portugal and Bulgaria, the UK is not always the first choice for EU nurses.Many would choose Germany, France or Belgium, which offer excellent packages. Unlike non-EU nurses on work permits, EU nurses are more transient and prepared to return home after a period on working in the UK.
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