Nurses recruited from overseas helping address Northern Ireland workforce crisis

International nurses made up more than 40% of the number of nurse graduates recruited by the Belfast Health Trust over the past two years, according to a senior nurse.

Paula Forrest, the Trust’s Deputy Director of Nursing, said the recruitment of nurses from overseas has been necessary to try and stabilise the workforce.

Over the past two years 800 international graduates were recruited by the Trust, along with 900 local nursing graduates.

“We have a significant shortage of nurses. We recognised we had to come up with a plan to address the vacancies and part of our plan was to recruit nurses internationally. They are an invaluable part of our workforce,” she said.

Paula added: “We are really lucky that we have international nurse recruits working in all areas and departments. They have not only come here for a job, but to make their career in nursing.

“They have vast skills, knowledge and expertise from their home countries so we are very lucky to have that expertise.”

Twenty years ago Beena Tharun from India was recruited to work as a nurse in the Mater Hospital.

Her career progressed quickly and she now manages the hospital’s two busy respiratory wards.

She said around 80% of nursing staff on her wards are from overseas.

“They have really made a difference. It would be very difficult without them,” she said.

The Department of Health said the international recruitment programme is an additional avenue to address the workforce needs across health and social care in Northern Ireland.

There is concern however that recruitment and training could be impacted by budget pressures.

The department said that the continued delivery of its three year Implementation Plan for the Health and Social Care Workforce Strategy 2026 is becoming increasingly challenging.

The department said this is due to the “proposed budget for 2023-24 not providing the funding necessary to fully implement many of the actions identified in the plan.”

The department added: “The 2023/24 budget of £7.3 billion set out by the Secretary of State effectively is a flat cash budget for the Department of Health. However, this makes no allowance for significant increases in cost we will face as a result of pay and price inflation and rising demand.

“Based on our current projections to cover our inescapable pressures this budget allocation will result in a funding gap of some £732m.”

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