£400,000 funding to recruit international nurses in Essex
An extra 145 nurses will be starting work at NHS trusts in Essex in 2021, thanks to over £400,000 which has been awarded to support an international nursing recruitment campaign.
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust’s (MSEFT) hospital sites in Broomfield, Basildon and Southend will recruit 130 of the nurses, 10 nurses will be recruited by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT), and five by North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT). These international nurses will have a positive impact on both patients and existing nursing staff.
The successful bid for funding was made by the Mid and South Essex Health and Care Partnership, following input from MSEFT, NELFT and EPUT.
MSEFT was selected as the lead recruiting organisation following the success of its recent international recruitment campaigns. Over the last two years, the Trust has recruited over 600 international nurses, whilst also continuing to recruit nurses from the UK.
International nurses form a significant portion of the UK’s workforce of registered nurses. There are almost 31,000 nurses in the UK from the European Economic Area (EEA), and over 77,000 from outside the EEA.
Danny Hariram, chief people and organisational development officer at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I’m delighted that, through working closely with our health and care system partners, we have jointly secured funding from NHS England to recruit 145 international nurses. From next year these nurses will support our colleagues in continuing to care and provide for patients at hospital sites across Essex.”