NHS fuelling immigration?

A report out today accuses Health ministers and NHS chiefs of fuelling migration numbers by employing nurses on the cheap from outside the EU to meet annual shortages.

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recommends a limit of 5,000 a year and an end to health bosses using foreign employment as a “get out of jail” card.

It finds that 20 per cent of 630,000 qualified nurses in UK are from overseas and are paid on average £6000 less than UK nursing staff.

Nursing shortages in UK are at 9 per cent with some NHS trusts in London as high as 18 per cent.

MAC’s chair Sir David Metcalfe says the blame lies on the health sector itself and the shortage is linked to cuts in training places.

He says nursing will be put on the UK “shortage occupation list” but with great reluctance because it will crowd out other occupations.

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