Overseas nurses fill 352 Royal Stoke Hospital vacancies

Nurses from India and Botswana joined UHNM in October

Hundreds of overseas nurses have been recruited to fill vacancies at a hospital trust.

University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) began recruiting in 2021, and will have taken on 352 international nurses by next month.

Thirty nurses from India and Botswana joined Royal Stoke University and Stafford's County hospitals in October.

In 2022, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) raised concerns about staffing levels at County Hospital.

In September, UHNM chief executive Tracy Bullock said that by October the recruitment drive would reduce nursing vacancies from 400 last year to 40.

Overseas nurses have played a "huge role" in addressing the staffing level problems, UHNM said.

The 30 nurses who joined the hospital trust in October make up the largest cohort of overseas nurses to date.

All qualified in their own country, but have had to complete a clinical exam in order to be recognised in the UK through the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

"By the end of the year we will have employed 352 international nurses and this has played a huge role in reducing nursing vacancies across the trust," said Stella Underwood, international nurse lead.

Following the completion of the recruitment phase, the aim was to develop and maximise the experience they bring, she added.