Overseas Nurse Report: A Wake Up Call For The Government

12.47.46pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 11th May 2004

The Royal College of Nursing's report, which reveals that nearly half of all new entrants to the UK's nursing register come from overseas, must act as a wake up call to the Government, the Liberal Democrats said today.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Paul Burstow MP, said:

"This report should be a wake up call for the Government. Overseas recruitment is their sticking plaster solution to the nurse recruitment problem.

"It is morally indefensible to aggressively recruit nurses from developing countries with their own health crises. It is also not a long-term solution to rely on overseas nurses to the detriment of UK recruitment. Other developed countries like the USA are also competing for the same pool of nurses. We need to grow our own and keep our own nurses in the UK".