Posted 30 September 2022 - 13:38
Posted 30 September 2022 - 13:38
News
Nurses hit out at overseas recruitment plan on social media
Many express anger that money is being spent on international scheme rather than improving UK nurses’ pay and conditions to boost domestic recruitment and retention
Many express anger that money is being spent on international scheme rather than improving UK nurses’ pay and conditions to boost domestic recruitment and retention
Nurses have shared their anger and frustration at the government’s decision to increase funding for overseas recruitment, saying it would do ‘anything other than increasing NHS staff pay’.
NHS England said last week it would pay trusts up to £7,000 per nurse coming into the UK from abroad between 1 January and 31 March 2023 – more than doubling the current offer of £3,000.
Nursing Standard readers express frustration on social media
The decision did not go down well with Nursing Standard readers, with many taking to Facebook to vent their frustration that domestic nurses were being overlooked.
One nurse branded the news ‘ridiculous’, adding that the government ‘wouldn’t even give UK nurses a proper bursary’, while others were quick to point out that wages do not match the cost of living in the UK, so retention would still be an issue.
One nurse wrote: ‘So angry. Just give that £4,000 to each nurse you already have. Stop recruiting these overseas nurses on false promises of good pay. Why can’t these so-called intelligent managers and government officials seem to work out that retention and better pay solves the crisis? Once again treating nurses as though we’re something they stepped in.’
Another commented: ‘This makes me so cross, why don’t these NHS trusts work at retaining their staff by paying them a decent wage and treating them well, and maybe they won’t leave?’
Better pay for UK nurses would encourage recruitment
Others were keen to point out that focusing on offering nursing students ‘better money’ would help encourage more to join the profession.
One said: ‘Don't get me wrong, the overseas nurses are lovely, but we can't keep taking nurses from other countries.’
One nurse said the government’s decision to scrap the bursary and abolish the BTEC qualification in health and social care was a ‘huge mistake’.
RCN director for England Patricia Marquis said while internationally recruited nurses are an important part of the nursing workforce, ministers need to do more to invest in the UK and ‘end the over-reliance on overseas nursing staff’.
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