Record number of NHS nurses fleeing UK to work abroad for ‘better pay and working conditions’
RECORD numbers of NHS nurses are leaving to work abroad for more cash, figures reveal.
The Royal College of Nursing found the number of staff issued certificates allowing them to work internationally is five times higher than before the pandemic.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council issued 10,282 certificates of current professional status last year, it found, compared to just 2,165 in 2019.
It was the highest since the record began in 2018 and 2023-24 is set to hit a new high, with 8,959 issued between April and September last year.
The certificate is also known as a letter of good standing and proves to other governments that someone has worked as a registered nurse in Britain.
Every day the Government does not grasp this crisis is another when more nurses leave
Pat Cullen
Meanwhile there are around 40,000 vacant nurse posts in NHS hospitals in England, with staff shortages crippling our wards and clinics.
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Pat Cullen, general secretary at the RCN, said: “The NHS today struggles to compete on the world stage and it is patients who feel the impact.
“With the prospect of better pay and working conditions abroad, it is little wonder nurses are choosing to use their skills elsewhere.
“The Government has not yet grasped the urgency of the workforce crisis in nursing and every day that the penny doesn’t drop is another when more nurses choose to leave.”
UK compares poorly to other rich nations
A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development found that Britain has fewer nurses per patient than the average developed country.
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In 2021 it was also one of just four nations out of 36 where a typical nurse’s salary was lower than the national average.
The RCN has warned it could go on strike again this year after doctors were offered a bigger pay rise.
Its industrial action ended last year after a five per cent pay boost in the summer.
The RCN technically turned down the deal but had it imposed after being outvoted by other unions and the membership voted not to strike again.
The Department of Health was contacted for comment.