Number of European nurses arriving in UK falls from 9,000 a year to 900 after Brexit vote

The number of European nurses arriving in Britain has fallen from about 9,000 to 900 a year since the Brexit referendum, it was revealed today.

London has the highest vacancy rate in the country and the ability to lure health professionals from the Continent is seen as a vital in plugging workforce gaps and responding to the growing demand for NHS care.

Concerns will increase over the impact of Brexit on the NHS after the latest UK statistics from the Nursing and Midwifery Council showed that the number of newly-registered nurses and midwives from the European Economic Area fell from 9,389 in 2015/16 to 968 in the year to March.

London’s 13.5 per cent nursing vacancy rate is the highest in the NHS and means that 8,912 posts are unfilled, including 6,247 in acute hospitals and 1,994 mental health nurses. The NHS has 40,000 nursing vacancies. Problems are worst in the capital’s mental health sector, where 16.2 per cent of posts — nearly one in six — are unfilled. Almost a third of non-UK EU staff work in the London NHS. 

For more information view - https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/number-of-european-nurses-arriving-in-uk-falls-from-9000-a-year-to-900-after-brexit-vote-a4146576.html

To view the lastest NHS vacancies view - https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/