EU nurse numbers halved

THE number of EU nurses joining the NHS has halved since the introduction of tough language tests, figures show.

While 5,977 European nurses started work in 2014/15, this had dropped to 2,791 by 2016/17.

The fall coincided with the introduction of a new English assessment in January 2016, which was so difficult that even Australian nurses failed.

The test was introduced by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the professional regulator, amid concerns that EU nurses were putting patients at risk because of their poor English. Before 2016, any nurse from the EU could register without proving they had a good command of the language. The test was replaced by an easier exam last November, but that has not yet had an effect on nursing numbers

The figures were obtained by the BBC as part of a wider investigation which showed the NHS lost more than 3,000 nurses last year.

A total of 33,440 nurses left in 2016/17 and only 30,388 joined, meaning there was an overall deficit of 3,052 nurses. This is the biggest gap in the five years since 2012/13.

But last night Jeremy Hunt accused the BBC of ‘underplaying’ a major nurse training scheme. The Health and Social Care Secretary tweeted to point out that the Government recently committed to train an extra 5,000 nurses – the biggest such initiative in NHS history.

The data – obtained from NHS Digital – also showed that in each of the last three years, at least 10 per cent of the nursing workforce quit.

Health leaders have blamed Brexit for making EU nurses feel unwelcome.