The verification challenges of recruiting 50,000 overseas nurses
In March this year, England’s Chief Nursing Officer, Ruth May, spoke about the ongoing shortage of nurses in the UK. She said that the UK government target of recruiting 50,000 overseas nurses by 2025 is no longer enough. That numbers of nurses were leaving who had delayed their retirement to help provide care during the covid epidemic, and that more were seeking a career break to recuperate. https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/workforce/englands-cno-says-50000-more-nhs-nurses-no-longer-enough-22-03-2022/
And in April, former Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt said that although the government was on target to recruit the 50,000 foreign nurses, the number of nurse vacancies was not going down. https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/workforce/governments-50k-nurses-initiative-having-no-impact-on-vacancies-27-04-2022/
Staffing levels within the UK continue to cause concern, with over 40,000 current nursing vacancies. Overseas recruitment together with increased training opportunities in the UK are the obvious ways to meet the shortfall. Increased training is part of a longer term plan, with overseas recruitment offering the most immediate solution.
However, overseas recruitment is not always straightforward. Applicants must be screened and their clinical and English language qualifications verified at source before recruitment can go ahead. The process from initial recruitment to starting work may be as much as six months.
In this environment, the ability to carry out international primary source verification quickly and accurately is invaluable. Established relationships with academic and medical institutions, and multilingual support to expedite verifications where necessary, is vital, as is an in-depth understanding of the documentary requirements of each university or hospital.
For further information on how to ensure verification of overseas qualifications in a limited turn-around time, contact Phil Dupont on 0203 897 0956.
