Widespread nurse shortages across England that have led to thousands of vacancies will not be solved long-term by overseas recruitment, a report by an independent body that advises on NHS pay has warned.
Such a strategy could only provide a short term “stop gap” to help fill the estimated 12,500 full-time equivalent nurse vacancies, said the group’s latest report.
But the underlying problem causing the shortage is due to previous underestimations of the future demand for nurses, in addition to “an unclear projection of supply”, the NHS Pay Review Body report noted.
Full story in the Nursing Times 10 March 2016