Public backs keeping EU nurses in NHS after Brexit as numbers coming to UK plummet
2 min read
The public overwhelmingly supports letting nurses from the European Union work in the UK after Brexit, a new poll has found.
According to a study by Ipsos MORI for the Health Foundation, 71% of people would like to leave the door open to nursing staff after the UK exits the EU next year.
Only 14% thought that the number of foreign workers in the NHS should be reduced, while 10% said EU nurses should be replaced with immigrants from other parts of the world.
However, according to the latest figures from the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the number of nurses coming to Britain since the EU referendum has fallen dramatically.
In 2016/17 6,382 EU nurses came to work in the UK, but a year later that had fallen by 87% to just 805.
Anita Charlesworth, Director of Research and Economics at the Health Foundation, said the findings were concerning and called on the Government to welcome EU staff into the NHS as well as investing in UK workers.
She said: "It’s clear that the public value the vital contribution that nurses from abroad make and want to make sure that the NHS continues to welcome staff from other countries.
"The huge drop in the number of EU nurses coming to work in the NHS following the referendum is a stark reminder that we must never take overseas staff for granted.
"We must make sure that the health service is an attractive and welcoming place to work for both international and home trained staff.
"With 1 in 10 nursing post vacant this is one of the biggest risks facing the NHS.
"Uncertainty about the position of EU staff after Brexit adds to the challenge of securing enough nurses to sustain high quality care.
"But it is vital that international recruitment isn’t used as a ‘get out of jail free card’ to compensate for our long-term failure to train and retain enough UK staff."
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