Number of EU nurses registered to work in NHS reduces drastically after Brexit vote
A MASSIVE 96 per cent fewer European Union nurses have registered to work in the UK since the Brexit vote a year ago.
There were only 46 new applicants from the bloc in the first four months of this year compared to 1,304 last year to July - a month after the Brexit vote.
The NHS relies on about 57,000 EU nationals, including about 20,000 nurses - 7 per cent - of the total 285,173.
In September last year, three months after the Brexit vote, the number of EU nursing applicants had already fallen to 344 applicants.
Without EU nurses it will be even harder for the NHS and other employers to find the staff they need to provide safe patient care
Britain relies on international recruitment as a stop gap measure to fill staffing shortages.
Since 2008, the majority of international nurses registering in the UK have come from within the EU.
The Health Foundation, which obtained the figures through a Freedom of Information request, urged the Government to take a more “sustainable long-term approach” to workforce planning.
Anita Charlesworth, director of research and economics at the healthcare policy charity, said: “The recruitment and retention of nurses is one of the biggest challenges facing health and social care, with a shortage of 30,000 nurses in England alone.
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“The drop in EU nurses registering to work in the UK could not be more stark – just 46 registered to work in the UK in April. Without EU nurses it will be even harder for the NHS and other employers to find the staff they need to provide safe patient care. The findings should be a wake-up call to politicians and health service leaders.
“Clearly action is needed to offset any further loss of EU nursing staff in the near future. But the overall shortage of 30,000 nurses is not a shortage caused by the Brexit vote.
“The chronic shortage of nurses is the result of years of short-term planning and cuts to training places. A sustainable, long-term approach to workforce planning is desperately needed.”
Jeremy Hunt, kept his health secretary portfolio in Theresa May’s mini re-shuffle following Thursday’s general election.
Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow health spokesman, called for the NHS to be a priority in Brexit negotiations starting next week.
He said: "Theresa May's weak and unstable government has pushed NHS services to the brink and it is patients who will pay the price," he said.
"Our health service has always relied on the contribution of overseas workers yet these staff are being forced out by this Government's neglect and disregard.
"The Tories are overseeing an unforgivable drain of talent out of our country because of their chaotic attitude to the Brexit negotiations. The truth is that Theresa May has tried to use NHS staff as bargaining chips in her negotiations with Brussels.
"The NHS should be a priority in the Brexit negotiations and the Government should immediately guarantee the rights of EU staff who are working here in our health and care service."