Figures show that a quarter of nurses and midwives working in the UK are now recruited from abroad.
A record 200,000 overseas-trained workforce now accounts for 23.8 per cent of the register, according to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
Of the total, 68,000 are from India, 50,000 trained in the Philippines and 15,000 are from Nigeria.
Health leaders said the findings show the NHS system for training local nurses “is not fit for purpose” and warned the UK workforce is “increasingly inexperienced” and heavily reliant on candidates. foreigners.
It comes as recent figures reveal that net migration to Britain reached a record 2.2 million in the last three years, an addition to the country almost twice the size of Birmingham.
Leading nurses have warned that planned government reforms to the health service “don’t stand a chance” if recruitment and retention issues are not addressed.
The report reveals that while there are now a record number of registered nurses and midwives (841,367 in total), the number of those leaving the profession has also increased.
Figures show that 14,780 UK-educated professionals joined the register between April and September, a drop of 1.8 per cent compared to the previous six months.
A quarter of nurses and midwives working in the UK are now recruited abroad (file image) according to new figures
A record 200,000 overseas-trained members of the UK nursing and midwifery workforce now make up 23.8 per cent of the register: 68,000 are from India, 50,000 trained in the Philippines and 15,000 from Nigeria (file image ).
Meanwhile, 11,569 UK-educated employees left the register, around 1.6 per cent more than the figure reported in the six months to September 2023.
The NMC also said international recruitment “could be starting to slow down”.
Kuljit Dhillon, acting executive director of strategy and insights at the NMC, said: “Nursing and midwifery are among the UK’s most trusted professions, so as we head into another harsh winter, we expect there will be little consolation in the growth of our registration to a record 841,000.
‘At the same time, there are notes of caution in our data on international hiring, which has been a pillar of workforce growth in recent years.
“We have seen a drop in the number of people entering with international education and an even greater proportional increase in the number of people leaving, although it is important to view the data on those leaving the country through the lens of a growing register “.
However, Professor Nicola Ranger, general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), called the figures “bad news for patients”.
“Nurse recruitment is slowing, the number of new hires is declining and we are witnessing a devastating increase in people leaving within five years of joining,” he said.
‘At a time of widespread vacancies, these trends are incredibly worrying for our NHS and the people who depend on its care.
Health Minister Wes Streeting has announced plans to ban the NHS from hiring agency workers to fill a shortfall in nursing numbers.
‘Across health and care services, international recruitment was used to fill gaps in turnover, but we are now seeing thousands of foreign employees choosing to go elsewhere.
“This comes as the number of nursing students in the UK has fallen sharply again this year, showing that worse years appear to be ahead.
‘As demand for care increases, ministers across the UK must recognize this is a perfect storm for patient safety and take action to improve recruitment and retention.
“Working for low wages, in understaffed and under-resourced services has its price, as burnout pushes highly trained nursing staff to leave.”
Leading nurses have warned that planned government reforms to the health service “don’t stand a chance” if recruitment and retention issues are not addressed.
He urged policymakers to consider measures such as student loan forgiveness schemes to ensure there are enough local staff, adding that the Government’s NHS reforms “have no chance of being implemented without addressing these fundamentals”.
Dr Billy Palmer, senior fellow at the Nuffield Trust think tank, welcomed the growth in registration but warned the workforce faces shortages.
He also described the figures as “a chronic symptom of a national clinical education system that is not fit for purpose”.
“The UK nursing and midwifery workforce is increasingly inexperienced and facing deeply worrying shortages in important areas, with learning disability nursing numbers even lower than five years ago,” he said.
“Worryingly, the number of nurses and midwives with more than ten years’ experience is declining, with 28 per cent of staff having five years’ experience or less, echoing similar trends seen in the latest doctor registration data.” .
He added: “We have noticed that the NHS is failing to attract local nurses, with national new recruits previously falling by more than 6,000 in two years.”
“Now, heavy reliance on foreign workers continues, with almost half of new nursing and midwifery applicants trained outside the UK.”
A Department of Health spokesperson said: “Nurses have been overworked for years, leaving them exhausted and demoralised. That is why we accept recommendations from independent pay review bodies to give them and other NHS staff a salary increase higher than inflation.
“We will work with staff to rebuild our health services and give the NHS the stability and certainty it needs.”