Filipino nurses to plug staff shortages in Lincolnshire

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust is recruiting 131 Filipino nurses

Managers are recruiting 131 Filipino nurses to fill staff shortages at hospitals in Lincolnshire.

Previously the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) has hired nurses from Greece, Spain and Portugal.

An international support nurse will be put in place to help them adjust to life in the UK.

Head of Nurse Education at the trust, Russell Outen-Coe, said they had "learned many lessons from previous recruitment drives".

"What we've done is recruit an international support nurse at each site to support any nurse that comes to ULHT.

"They can take away many of the problems when they first arrive, things like finding accommodation."

Sheila Marriott, regional director for the Royal College of Nursing, welcomed the support being offered to foreign nurses.

"It is a huge life choice for these nurses and I think it is very important that we make the passage into working for the NHS as easy as possible," she said.

"But, at the end of the day we can't just rely on overseas nurses to plug the enormous gap we've got."

She said one of the problems was a shortage of training places for home-grown nurses.

"There is evidence that where nurses are trained locally they are far more likely to stay in that area," she added.

The trust is responsible for hospitals in Boston, Lincoln and Grantham.