Recruitment drive for 900 overseas nurses to plug staff shortages
Posted 12 April 2023 - 05:00
Head of nursing education and recruitment at Swansea Bay University Health Board hopes the move will slash its annual agency bill by £1.5 million
A health board in Wales is recruiting almost 900 international nurses over four years in a bid to plug workforce gaps amid a national shortage.
Swansea Bay University Health Board (SBUHB) was on track to employ 350 band 5 nurses in 2022-23, which it hopes will slash its annual agency bill by £1.5 million.
Ageing nurse workforce and increased demand on services created shortages
In board papers published for a meeting held on 30 March, head of nursing education and recruitment Lynne Jones predicted savings in the future could be up to £8.4 million a year as reliance on bank and agency nurses dwindles.
It is aiming to recruit a further 350 overseas nurses in 2023-24, on top of 130 recruited in 2021-22.
With more than 300 nursing vacancies across its own hospital sites, the board said an ageing workforce, alternative labour market and increased demand on services has created a UK-wide shortage of permanent nursing staff.
Ms Jones added in her report: ‘Over the last few years, the increased emphasis on compliance with the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016, has further increased the demand for registered nursing staff in Wales.
Trust recruiting mainly from India – as well as the Philippines and Jamaica
‘The aim of the plan is to ensure a sustainable supply of competent, caring, engaged nurses to meet the needs of NHS Wales. All four branches of nursing are to be included in the scope alongside the nursing support workforce.’
Recruiting an international nurse costs around £9,000, with the trust recruiting mainly from India, as well as the Philippines and Jamaica.
The nurses are offered a permanent band 5 contract of employment with a starting salary £27,055, but initially they are paid a band 4 salary (£23,949) until they complete their Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) registration.
Around one third (1,322) of SBUHB’s nursing and midwifery staff are over the age of 51 and likely to be retiring soon.
International recruitment essential to maintain patient safety, says health board
The board said that while efforts across Wales were being made to substantially increase student training places, international recruitment was essential to bolster the workforce to maintain and support patient safety, as the flow of domestic nurses was insufficient.
A spokesperson for SBUHB said: ‘Nurses are supported by their colleagues, practice development nurses and HR, while they also have a mentor and buddy support.
‘The board successfully recruits new registrant nurses from Welsh universities – approximately 200-230 per year. But due to a national shortage of nurses, we recruit very small numbers of experienced band 5 nurses from other parts of the UK.’
Other trusts in England are pursuing similar recruitment drives, with Royal Stoke University Hospital recently taking on 110 nursing staff from overseas.
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