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Overseas nurse recruitment: London trusts to join forces

NHS employers hope to cut international agency costs and standardise incentive packages

Fair pay is key to nurse recruitment and retention in a region with a high cost of living, says RCN

NHS employers in London are pooling resources in their drive to recruit nurses
from overseas Picture: iStock

Ten NHS trusts in London have decided to club together to recruit nurses from overseas.

Working as a group will reduce agency costs through economies of scale and standardise the support they offer new international staff. This means they will no longer have to compete with each other in the labour market.

Campaign to recruit nurses in London

Jane Clegg, London’s joint chief nurse

The initiative is part of the CapitalNurse recruitment campaign, in which recruits are offered incentives including up to four weeks’ accommodation rent-free or deferred.

A fresh push in international recruitment will take place in three phases, the first beginning this month, with the others scheduled for 2021.

London joint chief nurse Jane Clegg said: ‘London is a world-class city to train and work in as a nurse, and we are so proud to be able to support international nursing talent.’

Fair pay for nurses is key to workforce expansion

Lisa Elliot, RCN London director

RCN London regional director, Lisa Elliot, pointed to a college survey earlier this year that indicated London’s high cost of living was making more than half of its nurses consider moving away.

‘Paying nursing staff fairly as well as introducing financial support for transport and accommodation costs must be introduced if politicians and health and care leaders are serious about increasing nurse staffing levels in the capital,’ she said.

According to the latest NHS data, there are 9,178 full-time-equivalent nurse vacancies in London, which adds up to a vacancy rate of 13%.

The government has promised it will bring 50,000 extra nurses into the workforce in England by 2024.


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