UK health service trust hires Filipino nurses, needs more

The East Sussex Healthcare National Health Service Trust just hired 40 Filipino nurses for its Conquest Hospital and will continue recruiting foreign nurses. NHS PHOTO

SAN FRANCISCO—A national health service trust in the United Kingdom, which just hired several Filipino nurses, will continue to recruit more foreign nurses to meet the shortage in qualified medical staff.

The East Sussex Healthcare National Health Service Trust, in Hastings, recently signed 40 Filipino nurses to start in spring at Eastbourne District General Hospital, Conquest Hospital and in the community.

The hiring campaign is in response to a national shortage of 20,000 trained nurses, with currently approximately 2,000 vacancies across Kent, Surrey and Sussex, according to a report by the Boston Standard in Lincolnshire.

A spokeswoman for East Sussex Healthcare Trust said the shortage has led to trusts going abroad to recruit qualified nurses, and the government has temporarily changed the restrictions on nurse recruitment from outside the European Union to facilitate this.

The East Sussex NHS Trust has been working with agencies who do the preliminary vetting of nurse applicants before those who have pass the selection are interviewed for experience and English language skills.

The trust is also planning to recruit from Spain and Croatia.

Like us on Facebook